Contact

Office of the Vice-President (Research)

Main Office Contacts


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

Bill Ghali

William Ghali

Vice-President (Research)

Contact Kerri Ermantrout for schedule requests

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Malinda Smith

Malinda Smith

Vice-Provost and Associate Vice-President Research (Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion)

Contact Rupa Shankar for schedule requests

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Janaka Ruwanpura

Janaka Ruwanpura

Vice-Provost and Associate Vice-President Research (International)

Contact Teal Arnot for schedule requests.

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Michael Hart

Michael Hart

Vice-Provost and Associate Vice-President Research (Indigenous Engagement)

Contact Carol Gelette for schedule requests

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André Buret

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 Karen Pankraz for schedule requests

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Marcello Tonelli

Marcello Tonelli

Associate Vice-President (Health Research)

Contact Joan Keller for schedule requests

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Robert I. Thompson

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 Raegan Penkoff for schedule requests

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Susan Skone

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 Raegan Penkoff for schedule requests

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Penny Pexman

Penny Pexman

Associate Vice-President (Research)

Dr. Pexman serves as Postdoctoral Program Director and as chair for the Associate Deans Research Council (ADRC). She oversees the Knowledge Engagement unit, co-leads UCalgary participation in the Carnegie Foundation’s Community Engagement Classification Project, and is the point of contact between SSHRC and UCalgary.

Contact Karen Pankraz for schedule requests

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Steve Larter

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 Karen Pankraz for schedule requests

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Lorna Very, Executive Director, Office Vice-President (Research)

Lorna Very

Executive Director, Office of the Vice-President (Research)

Contact Karen Pankraz for schedule requests

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VPR Operations & Administration

Marjorie Moreau

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.

Kerri Ermantrout

Kerri Ermantrout

Executive Assistant to the Vice-President (Research)

(403) 220-6958 
kermantr@ucalgary.ca 

Kerri 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.

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Raegan Penkoff

Executive Assistant, Office of the Vice-President (Research)

rrobb@ucalgary.ca

Raegan provides dedicated administrative support to the Associate Vice-Presidents (Research) (AVPR). 

Karen Pankraz

Karen Pankraz

Executive Assistant, Office of the Vice-President (Research)

karen.pankraz@ucalgary.ca

Karen provides dedicated administrative support to the Associate Vice-Presidents (Research) (AVPR). 

VPR Innovation & Entrepreneurship

Portrait of Keri Damen

Keri Damen

Executive Director, Hunter Hub for Entrepreneurial Thinking

Contact Anne Truong for schedule requests

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Portrait of Adam Cragg

Adam Cragg

Executive Director, University Innovation Quarter (UIQ)

adam.cragg1@ucalgary.ca

Dr. Karen Benzies

Karen Benzies

Director, Social Innovation Initiative

benzies@ucalgary.ca

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

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Tara Barnas

Tara Barnas

Manager, Social Innovation Initiative

tara.barnas@ucalgary.ca

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

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Charity Tsang, Social Innovation

Charity Tsang

Administrator, Social Innovation

charity.tsang@ucalgary.ca

Portrait of Jeff Ryzner

Jeff Ryzner

Innovation Program Specialist

jeff.ryzner@ucalgary.ca

Jeff supports the Innovation portfolio in the VPR office, working closely with the AVPR Innovation. His work contributes to growing innovation levels and to achieve UCalgary's vision of becoming Canada's most entrepreneurial university. 

VPR Strategic Marketing & Communications

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

Jenny McLean

Jenny McLean

Senior Manager, 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. 

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Pam Hyde

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

Rand Al-Hashmy

Senior Specialist, Strategic Marketing and Communications 

ralhashm@ucalgary.ca

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.
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Kimberley Vircoe

Kimberley Vircoe

Senior Specialist, Strategic Marketing and Communications 

kimberley.vircoe@ucalgary.ca

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

Julia MacGregor

Senior Specialist, Strategic Marketing and Communications

jmacgreg@ucalgary.ca

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.

Cody Coates, Digital Marketing and Events Specialist

Cody Coates

Specialist, Digital Marketing and Events

cody.coates@ucalgary.ca

Cody works closely with members of the VPR portfolio and AVPRs to implement digital marketing strategies and event plans.

 

VPR Strategic Initiatives

Barry Phipps

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

Carmen Rieder

Manager, Industry Engagement

carmen.rieder@ucalgary.ca

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.

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Susan Sun

Industry Engagement Specialist, Energy and Advanced Technologies

susan.sun@ucalgary.ca

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Sid Gunamalai

Sid Gunamalai

Industry Engagement Specialist, Health & Life Sciences

sid.gunamalai@ucalgary.ca

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Michael Blough

Michael Blough

Manager, Strategic Opportunities

mdblough@ucalgary.ca

Marcelo Suarez

Marcelo Suarez

Research Analyst, Strategic Initiatives

marcelo.suarez@ucalgary.ca 

Christepher Claxton

Christepher Claxton

Research Analyst, Strategic Initiatives

christepher.claxton@ucalgary.ca