About Me

Sachin Kotecha Hello, and welcome to my website! My teaching career has (virtually) stretched across Canada. I have taught more than 45 post-secondary mathematics courses over the past 5 years in-person and/or online at the University of Waterloo (ON), Wilfrid Laurier University (ON), Mount Allison University (NB), Selkirk College (BC), and Conestoga College (ON). My focus at these institutions is largely in teaching introductory calculus, but I also teach linear algebra, introductory differential equations, business mathematics, and technical mathematics.

I completed my graduate degree in computational astrophysics under the supervision of Drs. Welker and Wadsley at McMaster University. You can learn about my research project at my McMaster website, or in the paper published in the Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society. Before this, I completed my BMath here at the University of Waterloo in applied mathematics and physics. During this time, I conducted a USRA with Dr. Fich looking at data from the SCUBA-2 telescope. You can find out a bit more about my other escapades and advice as an undergrad at this profile.

My personal interests skew heavily towards outreach and education in mathematics and physics. I've had the privilege of working at the fantastic Centre for Education in Mathematics and Computing and as a presenter for the McCallion Planetarium. Outside of the classroom I also love to travel, with my current country count at 15 with hopes of climbing higher.

Research

When we look out into the cosmos, we tend to see blue, star-forming galaxies (like our own Milky Way) and red, dead galaxies (like M87, the galaxy whose central supermassive black hole was the first to be directly imaged). In general, the redder 'elliptical' galaxies tend to be found close to other ellipticals in what are known as clusters, while the bluer 'spiral' galaxies are more often found by themselves or in small groups. An open question in astronomy is how a star-forming galaxy ceases to birth new stars, also known as quenching. My research focuses on this problem, in the context of elliptical galaxies in clusters.

Specifically, I am analyzing a set of 324 cluster hydrodynamical simulations, known as The Three Hundred Project, to look at quenching in relation to the large scale filamentary structure of the Universe, which is given the exciting name 'the cosmic web'. Simulations are crucial in astrophysics as they allow us to view the evolution of an astronomical body, something that is impossible observationally due to the long timescales of development in the Universe.

The goal of my research is to gain insight into how the star formation of galaxies in clusters evolves with regards to their distance to filaments of the cosmic web. We hope to also differentiate between the factors that affect this star formation rate which are internal to a galaxy versus those that are due to a galaxy's environment.

Teaching and Outreach

I have cumulatively taught 48 sections of post-secondary mathematics as a lecturer, across 18 distinct courses, with 27 of these sections being as course lead(*).

University of Waterloo

  • Instructor for MATH211/ECE205 (Advanced Calculus 1 for Electrical and Computer Engineers)
    • Winter 2025* (1 section)
    • Fall 2023* (1 section)
    • Winter 2023* (1 section)
  • Instructor for MATH119 (Calculus 2 for Engineering)
    • Winter 2025 (1 section)
    • Winter 2022 (1 section, half term)
  • Instructor for MATH137 (Calculus 1 for Honours Mathematics)
    • Fall 2025 (2 sections)
    • Fall 2024 (2 sections)
    • Winter 2024* (2 sections)
    • Fall 2023 (2 sections)
    • Fall 2021 (3 sections)
    • Fall 2020 (3 sections)
  • Instructor for MATH117 (Calculus 1 for Engineering)
    • Fall 2025 (1 section)
    • Summer 2025* (1 section)
    • Summer 2024* (1 section)
    • Summer 2023* (1 section)
    • Summer 2022* (1 section)
  • Instructor for MATH104 (Introductory Calculus for Arts and Social Science)
    • Fall 2024* (1 section)
  • Instructor for MATH138 (Calculus 2 for Honours Mathematics)
    • Summer 2024* (2 sections)
    • Winter 2023 (1 section)
    • Winter 2021 (1 section)
  • Instructor for MATH136 (Linear Algebra 1 for Honours Mathematics)
    • Summer 2023* (2 sections)
    • Fall 2022* (2 sections)
  • Instructor for MATH228 (Differential Equations for Physics and Chemistry)
    • Winter 2022* (1 section)
  • Drop-In Tutorial Centre TA for MATH137 (Calculus 1 for Honours Mathematics)
  • TA for MATH217 (Calculus 3 for Chemical Engineering)
  • TA for MATH227 (Calculus 3 for Honours Physics)
  • TA for MATH237 (Calculus 3 for Honours Mathematics)

Wilfrid Laurier University

  • Instructor for MATH103 (Calculus 1 for WLIC)
    • Winter 2023* (1 section)
  • Instructor for MATH127 (Mathematics for Business Technology Management)
    • Winter 2023* (1 section)
    • Winter 2022* (1 section)
  • Instructor for MATH100 (Introductory Calculus for the Natural Sciences)
    • Fall 2022 (1 section)
    • Fall 2021 (1 section)
  • Instructor for MATH101 (Calculus 1 for the Natural Sciences)
    • Summer 2022* (1 section)

Mount Allison University

  • Instructor for MATH1151 (Applied Calculus)
    • Summer 2022* (1 section)
    • Summer 2021* (1 section)

Selkirk College

  • Instructor for MATH101 (Calculus 2)
    • Summer 2022* (1 section)
    • Summer 2021* (1 section)
  • Instructor for MATH54 (Business/Technical Math)
    • Summer 2021* (1 section)
  • Instructor for MATH140 (Calculus 1 for Social Sciences)
    • Winter 2021* (1 section)

Conestoga College

  • Instructor for MATH1010 (Business Mathematics 1)
    • Fall 2021 (1 section)
  • Instructor for MATH1020 (Business Mathematics 2)
    • Fall 2021 (1 section)

Centre for Education in Mathematics and Computing

Humber College/University of Guelph-Humber

I was a drop-in Math Centre Tutor for numerous courses, including but definitely not limited to:
  • TMTH010 (Essentials of Technical Math)
  • BMTH010 (Essentials of Business Math)
  • STAT1112 (Statistics for Business)
  • SCMA3100 (Biomechanics)

McMaster University

I was nominated for the 2019 Keith Leppmann Teaching Assistant Excellence Award. At McMaster, I have been a:
  • TA for AST1F03 (Introduction to Astronomy and Astrophysics)
  • TA for PHYS1A03 (Introductory Physics)
  • TA for PHYS1AA3 (Introduction to Modern Physics)
  • TA for AST2B03 (The Big Questions)
  • TA for PHYS1E03 (Waves, Electricity, and Magnetic Fields)

W.J. McCallion Planetarium (at McMaster)

As a planetarium presenter, I have created and given a variety of public and private shows for a wide demographic. Example private show audiences include:
  • AST1F03 students as part of their course
  • Incoming students and their parents at various open houses
  • Various Scouts and Girl Guides groups
  • McMaster staff as part of their campus orientation
Shows that I have created for the planetarium include:
  • The Scales of the Universe: Starting from a look at the hunk of rock that's orbiting planet Earth, this show works its way through the components of our Universe. From planets to black holes, this show highlights our tiny place in the vast cosmos, while setting a foundation for the casual observer to look up at the night sky. The show ends with a look at a modern day simulation of our Universe, starting shortly after the Big Bang all the way to present day.
  • Astronomy for Muggles: This show draws connections between the famous Harry Potter series and our night sky. Showgoers learn what Harry and his friends studied in their astronomy classes, as well as the astronomical backstory behind the Black family tree. The show touches on various astronomical subjects, including planets (in and out of our own solar system), constellations, gravitational lensing, nebulae, and galaxies.

Professional Development

Math Teaching Seminar, Faculty of Mathematics, University of Waterloo (May 2022-Present)

  • Attendee of bi-weekly seminar involving discussions amongst teaching faculty at the University of Waterloo about their experiences and best practices, and often has appearances from guest speakers.

First Year Math and Stats in Canada (FYMSiC) Meet-Ups (July 2022-Present)

  • Attendee of monthly seminar involving discussions amongst teaching faculty across Canada about their experiences and best practices, and often has appearances from guest speakers.

UW Teaching and Learning Conference 2024 (May 2024)

  • Attended two-day conference with theme 'Sparking and Sustaining Engagement'.

UW Math Teaching Colloquium 2024 (April 2024)

  • Gave talk discussing actionable takeaways on mindsets to faculty members in the Faculty of Mathematics at UW.

Learning and the Brain: Teaching Engaged Brains Conference (February 2024)

  • Attended three-day conference that brought together neuroscientists, psychologists, and educators. Focused on talks on growth mindset and ADHD.

UW Teaching and Learning Conference 2023 (May 2023)

  • Attended two-day conference with theme 'Teaching and Learning with Kindness and Care'. Focused on talks on alternative grading, empathy, and technology.

MAA Seaway Spring 2023 Meeting (May 2023)

  • Attended two-day conference. Focused on talks on mathematics education.

SIGMAA on RUME 2023 Conference (Feb 2023)

  • Attendee of the Special Interest Group of the MAA on Research in Undergraduate Mathematics Edcuation's annual conference. Attended 15 talks across 3 days on research in math education, ranging from topics of assessment to EDI, in calculus and algebra courses. Funding provided by the Teaching Development Fund of the University of Waterloo's Faculty of Mathematics.
  • A blog post of an interesting talk I attended on Mathematical Microagressions is available on the Math Teaching Fellow Blog

Mental Health First Aid Supporting Youth (Aug 2021)

  • This certificate involves 10 hours of training, where participants learn skills for providing initial help to youth (ages 18-24) experiencing a decline in their mental well-being or a mental health or substance use crisis. This was completed during my time as a sessional lecturer with Mount Allison University.

Teaching and Learning Scholar Certificate of Completion (May 2020)

  • This certificate involves 100 hours of combined teaching experiences and coursework on the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning. Courses are EDU700 (Essential Skills in Teaching and Learning 2), EDU751 (Principles and Practices of University Teaching), and EDU760 (Self-Directed Study). This was completed at the MacPherson Institute at McMaster University.

Teaching and Learning Foundations Certificate of Completion (Sept 2019)

  • This certificate involves 36 hours of combined teaching experiences and coursework on the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning. Courses are EDU600 (Essential Skills in Teaching and Learning 1) and EDU650 (Peer-Evaluated Teaching Experience). This was completed at the MacPherson Institute at McMaster University

Curriculum Vitae

You can find my CV here (last updated June 3, 2025). You can also find relevant non-academic information on my LinkedIn profile.

Publications

Kotecha, S., Welker, C., Zhou, Z., Wadsley, J., Kraljic, K., Sorce, J., Rasia, E., Roberts, I., Gray, M., Yepes, G., & Cui, W. (2022). Cosmic filaments delay quenching inside clusters. Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society. https://doi.org/10.1093/mnras/stac300 (Open Access)