Mathematics Without Borders: Building Partnerships Through FMPBP What would it mean to you if you had the chance to expand your horizons — not just through research, but through shared learning, cultural connection, and collaboration beyond familiar borders? The insights we gather from our own study or our immediate academic circles can be rich, but there’s always a deeper layer waiting to be uncovered, one that often emerges only through dialogue, discovery, and exchange with others.
That’s where collaboration becomes transformative. Finding a like-minded counterpart, someone who not only shares your curiosity but also speaks the same language of inquiry, can spark fresh ideas and lasting impact. This is exactly what happened when Dr. Mehdi Salimi, Mathematics faculty at KPU, embarked on a journey through the Faculty Mobility for Partnership Building Program (FMPBP). His visit to the University of the Republic in Uruguay opened doors to new perspectives on teaching, research, and international partnership — blending mathematics with human connection and learning with shared purpose.
For Salimi, mathematics has always been more than formulas and equations, it’s the language of patterns, systems, and decisions. So, when the opportunity arose through the Faculty Mobility for Partnership Building Program (FMPBP), he saw a chance to connect that language to a new culture and community of thinkers.
“I had been following the work of the Economic Dynamics Research Group (GIDE) at the University of the Republic in Montevideo for some time,” Salimi says. “Their research connects economics, mathematics, and computational modeling, an interdisciplinary focus that aligns beautifully with my own research in game theory and decision sciences.”
Traveling from KPU to Montevideo, Uruguay, he joined forces with Professor Gabriel Brida and the GIDE team. “What intrigued me most was how they bring theory to life, using mathematics to explore real-world economic and social challenges,” Salimi recalls. “That blend of creativity and practicality made this collaboration deeply meaningful.
During his three-week visit, Salimi delivered seminars and participated in the LANET-2025 Conference on Complex Networks, held at the university’s Punta del Este campus. His presentations, Strategic Pursuit in Constrained Spaces and the NEK-Means Algorithm, explored how intelligent systems make optimal decisions under real-world constraints, blending game theory with artificial intelligence. “Explaining something complex in a way that sparks curiosity across disciplines is always rewarding,” Salimi says. “The feedback I received helped me see how mathematics can open new perspectives in economics and business decision-making.”
The experience also reshaped his teaching back home. “At KPU, I teach Mathematics in Business, and I’ve started weaving in examples from Uruguay, like how optimization guides resource management or how game theory informs pricing strategies,” Salimi says. “These real-world applications help students see that mathematics isn’t just about numbers; it’s about making smarter decisions in complex, interconnected environments.”
The collaboration didn’t end when the flight home landed. The GIDE research team is now contributing a chapter to Salimi’s upcoming book, Learning-Driven Game Theory for AI: Concepts, Models, and Applications, expanding the project’s reach and reinforcing the global dimension of his work.
“Programs like FMPBP don’t just fund travel, they fund transformation. You meet people who think differently, who challenge you, who remind you that mathematics, science, and education are universal languages. It gives you the chance to build international research partnerships, share your expertise, and learn new ways of thinking that can deeply enrich your teaching and scholarship at KPU. But beyond the academic outcomes, there’s something very human about it, the experience of connecting with colleagues in another part of the world, exchanging ideas, and realizing how mathematics, science, and education truly transcend borders.”
Encouraging others to explore similar paths, Salimi adds: “If you’re given the chance, go. Collaborate. Learn. Share. It’s not just professional growth it’s the joy of discovering how far your ideas can travel when you do. There’s something very human about it — the experience of connecting with colleagues in another part of the world, exchanging ideas, and realizing how mathematics, science, and education truly transcend borders”
About Faculty Mobility for Partnership Building-
This opportunity was made possible through the Faculty Mobility for Partnership Building Program — an initiative that empowers Canadian post-secondary faculty to build meaningful collaborations across Latin America and the Caribbean. Through research, teaching, and academic exchange, programs like FMPBP embody exactly what Mehdi describes: the spirit of global connection, shared learning, and mutual growth. At KPU International, the Global Partnerships Team proudly supports these journeys that turn collaboration into lasting impact.”
