This past weekend, four UBC Engineering Physics alumni, Tom, Esther, Dom, and Roee, gathered in Toronto for Japanese barbecue at Gyubee on Bloor Street. The dinner was part of a longer visit, as Roee had come up from New York to take a break from city life and spend a few days in Algonquin Park with Tom. Roee, who works at Amazon on AI agent tools, flew into Billy Bishop Airport, hopped on a bike, and rode straight to the restaurant to meet the others. Tom, based in Toronto, works at BEIT, a startup developing algorithms for quantum computers with a focus on error correction. Dom is pursuing a PhD in mathematics at the University of Toronto, studying the math behind density functional theory. Esther is also at U of T, where her PhD research focuses on methods for modeling, optimizing, and scaling optical systems.
The four first met in 2017. Tom, Roee, and Dom lived together during undergrad, and Esther, a year ahead, joined the crew along the way. Back then, most of their time was spent in labs, solving problem sets late into the night, and finding ways to stay sane through a demanding program. Less than a decade later, they are now scattered across different cities and fields, but the connections have endured. At Gyubee, the conversation bounced between old memories and current projects. Between grilling plates of beef and vegetables, they caught up on research, work, and life outside of it. The mix felt familiar, with serious topics paired with plenty of jokes and laughter.
After dinner, they walked over to the U of T grad student pub, grabbed a few pints, and played some pool, a simple way to stretch out the night and fall back into the easy rhythm of being together. Later that weekend, Tom and Roee headed north to Algonquin Park for a canoe trip. Trading city streets for quiet lakes, they even spotted two moose along the way. What started as friendships at UBC in 2017 has turned into something that has lasted well beyond graduation. Whether it is over barbecue in Toronto, pints at the pub, or a canoe trip in the woods, it is clear those ties remain strong.
Submitted by Tom Ginsberg, BASc '21
