AI Academy classroom
Smith School of Business students work through an AI Academy bootcamp session in Sept. 2025, supported by funding through Scotiabank’s ScotiaRISE initiative. (Photo: Smith School of Business)

Renewed Scotiabank gift expands AI and analytics training at Smith School of Business

AI and analytics are changing the workplace fast. So is the demand for people who know how to use them responsibly. And now, thanks to a renewed gift from ScotiaRISE, Scotiabank’s community investment initiative, Queen’s will continue meeting that demand.

The $2.5-million commitment over five years will support the Scotiabank Centre for Analytics & AI at Smith School of Business. It will help the centre continue to conduct applied research, in addition to opening more doors for students and professionals to build career-ready skills in one of the fastest-changing areas of business.

“Our continued ScotiaRISE partnership reflects a shared belief in the transformative power of responsible AI to build stronger organizations, expand opportunity, and drive economic progress,” says Lynnette Purda, Interim Dean at Smith School of Business. “Together, we are creating pathways for AI learning, leadership, and innovation to grow.”

The Scotiabank Centre for Analytics & AI was founded in 2016 and named in recognition of a generous philanthropic gift from Scotiabank, through ScotiaRISE, part of $2.2 million in total funding from the bank. In 2019, ScotiaRISE provided an additional $2 million in philanthropic and research funding to support the centre through 2025. This current gift will help power the centre’s work over five years and will support research, thought leadership, student financial support, and the people and programming that make it all possible.

The gift also closely aligns with Scotiabank’s community investment initiative, ScotiaRISE, which partners with institutions that strengthen economic resilience and foster sustainable growth for community members. This includes investing in the skills the next generation of talent and business leaders will need to succeed in an evolving digital economy.  

In practice, this continued support will help expand the centre’s AI Academy and Future Leaders Challenge, fund early-stage research through the AI Accelerator, and sustain the ongoing development of teaching cases that bring real-world AI questions into Smith classrooms.

It will also bring global experts in AI ethics, governance, and innovation to Queen’s and support Women in Analytics and AI Graduate Scholarships, helping more equity-deserving candidates access graduate training in the field.

For Ceren Kolsarici, director of the Scotiabank Centre for Analytics & AI, the renewed gift builds on a partnership that has been helping the centre prepare students and research fellows for the digital economy since 2016.

It also gives the centre room to deepen that work at a moment when AI and analytics skills are urgently needed across sectors, she adds.

“We are incredibly grateful for Scotiabank’s long-standing partnership and proud of what we have accomplished together,” says Kolsarici. “This generous gift allows us to deepen that impact by scaling our vision for an inclusive and AI-ready workforce. We are excited to continue driving responsible innovation and economic resilience alongside our partners at Scotiabank.”