Contact
Office of the Vice-President (Research)
Reach the Office of the Vice-President (Research)
General Inquiries: research@ucalgary.ca
Vice-President (Research): vpr@ucalgary.ca
Communications and Marketing: vprcomms@ucalgary.ca
Phone (403) 220-5460
Office Location & Mailing Address
A100, Administration Building
2500 University Drive NW
Calgary, AB, T2N 1N4
Participate in Research
For more information about participating in studies or trials, please visit: ucalgary.ca/research/participate
Letter of Support Requests
For signatures on VPR letters of support, please provide a draft to vpr@ucalgary.ca and allow for a minimum of 5 business days for internal review and finalization. Failure to meet this deadline may impact the VPR’s ability to provide a letter.
For programs managed by the Research Services Office (RSO), the request for letters of support must be routed through Research Services.
VPR Executive Team


Malinda Smith
Vice-Provost and Associate Vice-President Research (Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion)
Contact Rupa Shankar for schedule requests

Janaka Ruwanpura
Vice-Provost and Associate Vice-President Research (International)
Contact Lisa Lindsay for schedule requests.

Michael Hart
Vice-Provost and Associate Vice-President Research (Indigenous Engagement)
Contact Carol Gelette for schedule requests

André Buret
Associate Vice-President (Research)
Dr. Buret’s portfolio includes oversight of UCalgary’s UCare programs and units, university biosafety compliance with the federal Public Health Agency of Canada, Advancing Canadian Wastewater Assets, and off-campus field research facilities.
Contact Angelina Nair for schedule requests

Marcello Tonelli
Associate Vice-President (Health Research)
Contact Joan Keller for schedule requests

Rob Thompson
Associate Vice-President (Research)
Executive Director, Research Services
Dr. Thompson’s portfolio includes serving as Executive Director, Research Services. He is the co-chair of the GFC Research and Scholarship Committee and sits on the Dimensions Executive and Indigenous Research Steering Committees, Campus Strategic Initiatives Group, among others.
Contact Blessing Oduniyi for schedule requests

Susan Skone
Associate Vice-President (Research)
Dr. Skone’s portfolio includes administration and oversight of the Urban Alliance Initiative, Canada Research Chair Program, and Strategic Research and Innovation Opportunities.
Contact Angelina Nair for schedule requests

Steve Larter
Associate Vice-President (Research & Innovation)
Steve Larter oversees the UCalgary Innovation ecosystem, connecting various innovation nodes including the Hunter Hub for Entrepreneurial Thinking, Social Innovation, CDL-Rockies and Innovate Calgary.
Contact Blessing Oduniyi for schedule requests


Lorna Very
Executive Director, Office of the Vice-President (Research)
Contact Angelina Nair for schedule requests

VPR Operations & Administration

Marjorie Moreau
Director, VPR Operations
(403) 220-2995
mmoreau@ucalgary.ca
Marjorie plays an instrumental role in fulfilling the mandate of the VPR Office as well as the design, implementation and direction of administrative systems and structures. She provides leadership, direction and administrative oversight for matters related to the research portfolio.

Karen Pankraz
Executive Assistant to the Vice-President (Research)
(403) 220-7833
karen.pankraz@ucalgary.ca
Karen provides dedicated administrative support to the Vice-President (Research). She is the primary point of contact for all internal and external stakeholders requiring VPR expertise, and facilitates his leadership efforts through diverse administrative duties.

Kerri Ermantrout
Executive Assistant, Office of the Vice-President (Research)
(403) 220-6958
kermantr@ucalgary.ca
Kerri provides dedicated administrative support to the Associate Vice-Presidents (Research) (AVPR).

Angelina Nair
Executive Assistant, Office of the Vice-President (Research)
Angelina provides dedicated administrative support to the Associate Vice-Presidents (Research) (AVPR).

Blessing Oduniyi
Executive Assistant, Office of the Vice-President (Research)
Blessing provides dedicated administrative support to the Associate Vice-Presidents (Research) (AVPR).
VPR Innovation & Entrepreneurship

Adam Cragg
Executive Director, University Innovation Quarter (UIQ)
Acting Executive Director, Hunter Hub
Contact Ashley Regnier for schedule requests

Karen Benzies
Director, Social Innovation Initiative
Dr. Benzies leads the Social Innovation Initiative, to enable faculties to mobilize their academic experience and transdisciplinary expertise into solutions for complex social problems.

Tara Barnas
Manager, Social Innovation Initiative
Tara guides the Social Innovation Initiative, working closely with the AVPR Innovation, AVP Research, and the broader UCalgary social innovation community.

VPR Strategic Marketing & Communications
For general requests to the VPR Strategic Marketing & Communications team, please contact us at vprcomms@ucalgary.ca.

Jenny McLean
Director, Strategic Marketing and Communications
(403) 210-3992
jenny.mclean@ucalgary.ca
Jenny leads the VP Research marcom team, and provides guidance for strategic initiatives and units across the VPR portfolio.

Pamela Hyde
Senior Specialist, Strategic Marketing and Communications
(403) 220-7016
pamela.hyde@ucalgary.ca
Pamela is responsible for the development, implementation, and coordination of the VPR Office communications and marketing plan. As a leader of the Communications and Marketing Team, Pamela delivers programs that include brand management, advertising, media relations, special events and internal communications.

Rand Al-Hashmy
Senior Specialist, Strategic Marketing and Communications
Rand is responsible for the development, implementation, and coordination of the Vice-President (Research) communications and marketing plan. As a leader in the VPR Strategic Marketing & Communications team, Rand delivers programs that include brand management, advertising, media relations, special events and internal communications.
Visit profile

Kimberley Vircoe
Senior Specialist, Strategic Marketing and Communications
Kimberley’s portfolio is focused on the IRISS and REB Exchange platforms, working with the project team on instructional design, product marketing, and communications.
Kimberley also provides marketing and communications support to the Azrieli Accelerator.

Julia MacGregor
Senior Specialist, Strategic Marketing and Communications
Julia is responsible for the development, implementation, and coordination of the VPR Office communications and marketing plan. As a member of the VPR Strategic Marketing & Communications team, Julia supports the Innovation portfolio, working closely with the AVPR Innovation, AVP Research, and the broader UCalgary social innovation community.

Jennifer Dooley-May
Specialist, Communications and Engagement (Transdisciplinary Scholarship)
jennifer.dooleymay@ucalgary.ca
Jenn is responsible for communication and engagement planning and implementation for the Transdisciplinary Scholarship initiative, and to help strengthen our focus on transdisciplinary scholarship within the Health and Life area of focus by engaging existing units and teams to build awareness and increase collaboration across all disciplines.

Cody Coates
Specialist, Digital Marketing
Cody is a digital marketing and media production specialist with a passion for creating engaging content and delivering effective campaigns, known for his collaborative approach and commitment to understanding each project's needs and goals to create content that not only looks great but also drives results.
VPR Strategic Initiatives

Barry Phipps
Research Coordinator, Strategic Initiatives
(403) 220-8765
bphipps@ucalgary.ca
Barry contributes to the strategic planning and implementation of major initiatives within the VPR portfolio. Barry is responsible for the establishment of research and commercial collaborations with industry, government, and other external partners.

Carmen Rieder
Manager, Industry Engagement
Carmen leads the Industry Engagement portfolio in the office of the Vice-President (Research). The Industry Engagement (Research) team is tasked with strategic development and management of institutional research partnerships. Carmen responds to company requests for UCalgary research expertise, facilitates partnership building, and works closely with the VP Research, VPR leadership team, the Associate Deans (Research) and research services leaders across UCalgary.


Susan Sun
Industry Engagement Specialist, Energy and Advanced Technologies

Sid Gunamalai
Industry Engagement Specialist, Health & Life Sciences




VPR Transdisciplinary Scholarship Team



Alanna Bartolini
Coordinator, Transdisciplinary Scholarship (Digital Worlds)

Alya Jinah
Coordinator, Transdisciplinary Scholarship (Democracy & Social Change)

Rineem Saleh
Coordinator, Transdisciplinary Scholarship (Cities & Societies)
