From electric skateboards to self-driving cars: Schulich Leader James Xu is the future of getting around

Jul 7, 2023

James Xu working at a laptop in front of a window. He wears a Waabi t-shirt and a Schulich Leader baseball cap. — *Photo by Ashley An*

Before he was old enough to get his driver’s license, James Xu (BASc 2021) wanted to find a quicker way of getting to and from high school.

Most kids his age would have taken the bus or just walked a little faster. Xu built an electric skateboard.

“I’ve always been interested in mobility and how people can get around more efficiently,” says the now-25-year-old. “That’s also why I started volunteering as a sit-ski instructor for youth with disabilities—trying to answer that question of how we can help people with physical and mental disabilities move around and have a better quality of life.”

Today, Xu—one of the select few recipients of the prestigious Schulich Leader Scholarships and a recent University of Toronto Engineering graduate—is applying his passion for mobility solutions as a software developer at Waabi, an AI start-up building the next generation of self-driving technology.

This is such an exciting area to be in because there are so many problems to solve and so much growth.

At Waabi, which was founded by AI and self-driving pioneer and U of T professor Raquel Urtasun, Xu designs realistic self-driving simulation technology.

“I help make sure Waabi’s industry-leading simulator is realistic and scalable, so that it can be the ultimate driving school in which self-driving vehicles learn to drive on their own,” he says. “This is such an exciting area to be in because there are so many problems to solve and so much growth.”

This is such an exciting area to be in because there are so many problems to solve and so much growth.

The Schulich Leader Scholarships: uplifting the next generation of STEM leaders

In 2016, Xu was one of just four incoming U of T students to receive the Schulich Leader Scholarship. Currently valued at $120,000 each for engineering students, the scholarships—which were established through the Schulich Foundation by businessman Seymour Schulich in 2012—are Canada’s most coveted undergraduate awards in the fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM).

Designed to foster the next generation of global STEM pioneers, the scholarships aim to support recipients to make a positive impact in the world through their success as innovators, entrepreneurs and leaders. Each year, 100 high school students from across Canada—including 10 entering U of T—are selected to receive the awards from a nominee pool of 1,500.

Beyond covering the full cost of a U of T education, the Schulich Leader Scholarships program also opens doors to meaningful networking opportunities for recipients, organizing events and tapping them into the network of program alumni.

A wide-ranging curriculum and powerful connections

For Xu, being a Schulich Leader created access to a world-class education and unique opportunities that helped his dreams take shape.

Initially interested in the electromechanical side of engineering, he gradually ignited a love of software thanks to the wide-ranging U of T Engineering curriculum—combined with ample opportunities for hands-on work experience.

James Xu walking behind an unmanned four-wheel vehicle in a snowy parking lot.

“I started to realize that even products that have traditionally been purely electromechanical, like toasters and vacuums, now rely on innovative software,” he says. “My co-op positions helped me make that connection and understand the critical importance of software in advancing innovation in nearly any field, while allowing me to explore what working in software is really all about.”

Over the course of his undergraduate degree, Xu spent a summer in Singapore researching robotics and engineering. He worked at Canadian Nuclear Laboratories, where he got to participate in a real-world software project for the first time. And he undertook a year-long co-op at General Dynamics, where he was able to apply his new software skills and knowledge to off-road autonomous driving—an experience that cemented his desire to work in the self-driving space.

In his fourth year, Xu joined aUToronto—a U of T student club devoted to working on self-driving technology. The club won first place in the SAE AutoDrive Challenge sponsored by General Motors, which offered Xu a job right out of university in its Automated Driving department.

The Schulich Foundation supported me throughout the application process and really wanted to see me succeed.

But it was the connections he made through the Schulich Foundation that led to his ultimate dream role at Waabi. It was at a networking event hosted by the Schulich Foundation that Xu was first introduced to Urtasun.

“Shortly after that, there was a job opening at Waabi in software development and the Schulich Foundation encouraged me to apply,” says Xu. “They supported me throughout the application process and really wanted to see me succeed.”

The Schulich Foundation supported me throughout the application process and really wanted to see me succeed.

A childhood dream takes off

Looking ahead to the future, Xu is excited to continue making a difference. Driven by a love of learning and a desire to further advance his software skills, he is now undertaking a master’s degree in computer science at the Georgia Institute of Technology while working full time.

He says the self-driving space has proven to be his perfect match. “I think I’ll be able to make a big impact in my field. It’s just a matter of time before machines can think more intelligently and more safely than humans can when it comes to getting around.”

By Emily Dontsos