Our board

Professor Deep Saini began his term as the 18th President and Vice-Chancellor of McGill University on April 1, 2023. A career academic and accomplished researcher in plant biology, Professor Saini brings a unique combination of national post-secondary experience with an international perspective. He most recently served as President of Dalhousie University in Canada and, prior to that, was Vice-Chancellor and President of the University of Canberra in Australia. Professor Saini had previously worked at four of Canada’s U15 universities, including as a Vice-President of the University of Toronto and Principal of its Mississauga campus, Dean of the Faculty of Environment at the University of Waterloo and Director General of the Plant Biology Research Institute at the Université de Montréal.

His awards and recognitions include honours from the Canadian Society of Plant Physiologists, Nanjing University, the Sikh Foundation of Canada, the Royal Society of New South Wales, the Punjab Academy of Sciences and the Indo-Canada Chamber of Commerce. He was featured in India Abroad’s “2011 Power List” and is the recipient of the Queen Elizabeth II Platinum and Diamond Jubilee Medals and the NRI Welfare Society of India Hind Rattan Award.

His leadership roles have included governance and advisory roles at national and international levels, presidencies of national professional societies, journal editorships, membership on national and international granting panels, international trade missions and membership of the executive committee for the U15 Group of Canadian Research Universities.

Professor Saini grew up in India and holds a Doctor of Philosophy in Plant Physiology from the University of Adelaide in Australia. He is fluent in English, French, Hindi and Punjabi.

He is the Chair of the board of Universities Canada.

Meric Gertler began his term as the 16th President of the University of Toronto on November 1, 2013. Previously, he served as the Dean of the Faculty of Arts & Science from 2008 to 2013.

He is a Professor of Geography and Planning, and the Goldring chair in Canadian Studies at the University of Toronto. He is a co-founder of a research program at U of T’s Munk School of Global Affairs investigating the role of city-regions as sites of innovation and creativity in the global economy. His work engages in comparative analysis of North American and European cities to understand how local social and cultural dynamics create the foundations for economic success and prosperity.

Professor Gertler has served as an advisor to local, regional and national governments in Canada, the United States and Europe, as well as to international agencies such as the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (Paris) and the European Union.

He has held visiting appointments at Oxford, University College London, UCLA, and the University of Oslo. He serves as a Director of the MaRS Discovery District, a Trustee of Toronto’s Hospital for Sick Children, Chair of the Presidential Steering Committee of the U7+ Alliance of world universities and Past Chair of the U15 Group of Canadian Research Universities. A veteran of past campaign cabinets for the United Way of Greater Toronto and former Vice-Chair of the Business Higher Education Roundtable, he currently serves on the leadership table of the BMO Financial Group-United Way project on Inclusive Local Economic Opportunity.

A graduate of McMaster University (BA), the University of California, Berkeley (MCP) and Harvard University (PhD), Professor Gertler was awarded honorary doctorates from Lund University, Sweden (2012) and from Shanghai Jiao Tong University, China (2017). He is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada, the Academy of Social Sciences (UK) and a Corresponding Fellow of the British Academy. In December 2015, Professor Gertler was appointed to the Order of Canada.

Professor Gertler is the Past Chair of the board of Universities Canada.

Benoit-Antoine Bacon was appointed as the 17th President and Vice-Chancellor of the University of British Columbia on November 1, 2023. He joined UBC from Carleton University in Ottawa where he served as President and Vice-Chancellor since 2018. For the past several years, he has also been serving on the board of directors of Universities Canada and on the council of the Council of Ontario Universities.

He joined Carleton from Queen’s University where he served as Provost and Vice-Principal, Academic.

He previously served as Provost and Vice-President Academic Affairs at Concordia University in his hometown of Montreal where he was recognized with an award as Concordia University’s Sustainability Champion.

His first academic appointment was at Bishop’s University, where he served in a number of leadership roles including Dean of Arts and Science, Associate Vice-Principal for Research, Chair of the Psychology Department and Chief Negotiator for the Association of Professors of Bishop’s University. He is a three-time recipient of Bishop’s Merit Award for exceptional performance in teaching and research.

Dr. Bacon holds a PhD in Neuropsychology from the Université de Montréal, after which he undertook an NSERC-funded post-doctoral fellowship at the University of Glasgow in Scotland.

His research in the field of cognitive neuroscience focuses on the links between brain activity and perception in the visual and auditory systems, as well as on multisensory integration. He remains associated with the Montreal-based Neuropsychology and Cognition Research Centre (CERNEC), which is funded by the Fonds de recherche du Québec – Santé.

Dr. Bacon is a Director on the board of Universities Canada.

Christian Blanchette took office as the ninth Rector of Université du Québec à Trois Rivières (UQTR) on December 1, 2020. Prior to his appointment, he had been the Dean of the Faculty of Continuing Education at the Université de Montréal since 2011.

Having obtained his PhD in Physics from York University in 1994 and with a background as an environmental specialist, Mr. Blanchette began his career in teaching before turning to research on the impact of the Internet and learning technologies on higher education.

With an academic career spanning almost thirty years, he has taken a keen interest in issues relating to digital transformation in an academic context and the evolution of education in the context of lifelong learning, as well as emerging issues in higher education.

Throughout his career, he has had various management responsibilities in academic and research roles, in student programs and student experience, and in organizational and community development.

For example, he established and managed the University of Ottawa teaching and learning support service (1999–2008), as well as the Institute for the Advancement of Teaching in Higher Education (2004–2008). He also served as Associate Dean, Interdisciplinary Studies and International Affairs in the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies at the University of Ottawa (2008–2011).

Christian Blanchette has served as a member of numerous committees. For almost ten years, he was active in Quebec’s high council of education, the Conseil supérieur de l’éducation, where he chaired the Commission de l’éducation des adultes et de la formation continue (adult education and continuing education commission) from 2014 to 2021. While there, he worked on issues relating to popular education, as well as the impact of education on the integration of immigrants and refugees in Quebec.

Pierre Cossette was appointed Rector of Université de Sherbrooke in June 2017.

Pierre Cossette has built a solid management team, combining gender parity with a broad and complementary range of backgrounds and experiences. He has launched a strategic planning process that is driving the university’s development to 2025, based on its unique contribution to Québec and Canada’s society.

Previously, in his role as Dean, Dr. Cossette and team strove to improve the medicine and health sciences programming, reposition its research, created new programs, converted the MD program into a digital format, improve the study and workplace environment and develop its networks and partnerships. Funding for research grew by 34% from 2010 to 2017.

He has taught at Université de Sherbrooke since 1997, served as internal medicine Program Director from 1998 to 2004, as Chief of the CHUS and Head of the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences (FMSS) from 2004 to 2010. He was Dean of FMSS from 2010 to 2017.

He holds degrees in medicine from Université de Montréal, in internal medicine from the Université de Sherbrooke and in epidemiology and biostatistics (MSc) from McGill University.

Dr. Cossette is a Director on the board of Universities Canada.

Joy Johnson became the 10th President and Vice-Chancellor of Simon Fraser University in 2020 and is also a Professor in its Faculty of Health Sciences.

As President, Joy is committed to enhancing student learning experiences, working towards Indigenous reconciliation and advancing equity, diversity and inclusion across the university.

Prior to her appointment as President, Joy served as Simon Fraser University’s vice-President, Research and International from 2014 to 2020 where she oversaw the evolution of cutting-edge research, innovation and international engagement across eight faculties. Under her leadership, SFU’s research income grew from $103 million in 2014 to $161 million in 2020—the fastest growth of any Canadian university. Other major accomplishments include launching a groundbreaking big data initiative, hosting one of Canada’s largest supercomputers and establishing a university-wide innovation strategy.

Joy has had a distinguished career in academics and research. She completed her PhD in Nursing at the University of Alberta and joined the University of British Columbia as a Professor in the School of Nursing. Her commitment to research led her to the role of Scientific Director with the Canadian Institutes of Health Research Institute of Gender and Health, where she is credited for shaping the Canadian research landscape to ensure gender is considered in health research.

Joy is an elected Fellow of the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences, a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada and has co-authored more than 180 peer-reviewed articles.

Professor Johnson is a Director on the board of Universities Canada.

With degrees in law from Université de Montréal and Harvard University, Daniel Jutras has been UdeM’s Rector since June 1, 2020. A specialist in civil and comparative law, his expertise is internationally recognized, the result of a long career devoted to the study of contract law and civil liability, class actions and judicial institutions. As a seasoned teacher and an early player in the integration of a comparative and pluralist perspective in the teaching of law, Mr. Jutras has played a leading role in the transformation of legal education programs in Quebec and elsewhere in the world.

In addition to his academic activities, Daniel Jutras has contributed to Canadian public and political life as an ethics consultant to the Canadian Judicial Council, as a member of the independent advisory committee on Senate appointments and as a member of the independent advisory committee on the appointment of the Governor General of Canada. The Supreme Court of Canada has appointed him as amicus curiae in two of the most important constitutional cases of the last decade. Between 2002 and 2004, Daniel Jutras was also senior counsel to the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Canada, the Rt. Hon. Beverley McLachlin.

Today, he is a member of numerous boards of directors in the university sphere and in civil society organizations such as the Centre hospitalier de l’Université de Montréal, the Montreal Clinical Research Institute, the Board of Trade of Metropolitan Montreal, the Canadian Research Knowledge Network, the Interuniversity Cooperation Office and the U7+ international university network.

At the time of his appointment as UdeM Rector, Daniel Jutras held the Wainwright Chair in Civil Law of McGill University’s Faculty of Law. At the same faculty, between 1985 and 2020, he was in turn Vice-Dean, Director of the Institute of Comparative Law and finally Dean, from 2009 to 2016.

His contributions to academic life, Canadian political life and educational innovation have been recognized by his appointment as an Officer of the Order of Canada. As a McGill Professor, he received an award for excellence in teaching. He was also awarded the Médaille du Barreau du Québec in 1983, the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal in 2013, the distinction of Advocatus Emeritus of the Quebec Bar in 2014 and the Mérite du Barreau du Québec in 2016. In 1982, upon completion of his studies at the UdeM, Daniel Jutras proudly received the Academic Medal of the Governor General of Canada.

Deborah MacLatchy was appointed President and Vice-Chancellor of Wilfrid Laurier University on July 1, 2017. As President of Laurier, she has spearheaded the development of a five-year institutional strategic plan, the Laurier Strategy: 2019-2024. The strategic plan focuses the university’s direction into two interconnected themes: thriving community and future readiness.

During her tenure at Laurier as President and previously as Provost, she has championed equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) initiatives, including the growth of supports for Indigenous students, an enhanced focus on women in science and the creation of a community of practice model to advance and distribute EDI initiatives throughout the university.

A distinguished biologist with extensive experience in research, teaching and administration, MacLatchy served as Dean of Laurier’s Faculty of Science from 2007 to 2009 and as Provost and Vice-President: Academic from 2009 until 2017. Previously, MacLatchy spent 13 years at the University of New Brunswick where she was Dean of Science, Applied Science and Engineering and Director of the university’s international office.

MacLatchy holds an honours BSc from Acadia University and a PhD in Zoology from the University of Manitoba. She is a founding Fellow and Past Chair of the Science Directors of the Canadian Rivers Institute and is a Past President and Council Member of the Canadian Society of Zoologists. She has been recognized for her many achievements with a number of significant awards, including an honorary doctorate from Acadia University in 2016 and the 2015 Recognition Award from the Senior Women Academic Administrators of Canada. As well, she was named one of Canada’s Most Powerful Women for 2012 in a Top 100 list compiled by Women’s Executive Network.

MacLatchy is a Director on the board of Universities Canada.

Dr. Paul Mazerolle is the 19th President and Vice-Chancellor of the University of New Brunswick.

Prior to his appointment in July 2019, Dr. Mazerolle was previously the Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Arts, Education and Law, 2009-2019), Campus Provost for Mount Gravatt campus (2009-2019), Director of the Violence Research and Prevention program (2006-2019), and Director of the Key Centre for Ethics, Law, Justice and Governance (2007-2009) at Griffith University in Queensland, Australia. He was also Director of Research and Prevention at the Queensland Crime and Misconduct Commission (2002-2005) and Head of the Criminology program at the University of Queensland (2000-2006).

Dr. Mazerolle received his Bachelor of Arts in Sociology from the University of New Brunswick (1989), his Master of Science in Criminal Justice from Northeastern University (1990) and his PhD in Criminology from the University of Maryland at College Park (1995).

Dr. Mazerolle has led and participated in several major initiatives. While at Griffith, he chaired the university-wide Safe Campus Taskforce and chaired the sub-committee on Changing Attitudes and Behaviour regarding Sexual Harassment and Sexual Assault. Since 2014, Dr. Mazerolle led and chaired the Griffith Integrity 20 program.

Dr. Mazerolle was a Member of the Premier’s Youth Violence Taskforce and the Seniors Taskforce in Queensland, Australia. He was also Board Chair and Director at Open Minds, a leading non-government organization addressing mental illness and disability.

Dr. Mazerolle is a past Editor of the Australian and New Zealand Journal of Criminology and is the Founding Co-Editor (with Tara McGee) of the Journal of Developmental and Life-Course Criminology.

An active scholar in criminology, Dr. Mazerolle has led several funded research projects. His research examines processes that shape offending behaviour across the life-course. His primary focus is in building knowledge on violence to inform theories, advance understanding, and improve policy and practices to reduce or prevent violence.

Paul is a proud native of New Brunswick, having grown up in Fredericton.

Dr. Mazerolle is a Director on the board of Universities Canada.

Edward McCauley became the ninth President and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Calgary on January 1, 2019.

Dr. McCauley began his University of Calgary career as a Professor in the Department of Biological Sciences in 1985, before moving in 2009 to serve as Director of the National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis and Professor of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at the University of California, Santa Barbara. In 2011, Dr. McCauley returned to the University of Calgary to take on an expanded role as the Vice-President Research.

An internationally-recognized scholar and researcher, Dr. McCauley has established a distinguished career developing innovative, interdisciplinary research centres, partnerships and projects. He is a world-renowned researcher in population ecology, blending theory and research to understand aquatic ecosystems and the impact of water issues for communities around the world. In addition, Dr. McCauley has served on several national panels, including the Canada Research Chairs program and NSERC grant selection committees.

This wide berth of research has garnered numerous awards and accolades. Dr. McCauley was inducted as a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada, selected as a Tier 1 Canada Research Chair (2001-2009) and held several distinguished visiting international professorships in Germany, Sweden, the U.K., Norway, the Netherlands, most recently, the prestigious LE STUDIUM International Research Chair at the Loire Valley Institute for Advanced Studies in France.

In 2003, Dr. McCauley became a Founding Co-Director of the Alberta Ingenuity Centre for Water Research to tackle fundamental water-related issues. The success of the centre led to the creation of the Alberta Ingenuity Water Research Institute, which engaged scholars from many disciplines provincially, nationally and internationally.

In addition, Dr. McCauley was the Project Leader and Principal Investigator for the Advancing Canada’s Wastewater Assets Project. This project, developed through a partnership between the University of Calgary and the City of Calgary, is designed to lead the world in advanced wastewater treatment.

He has served as a Board Member for Mitacs, TRIUMF, the Pacific Institute for the Mathematical Sciences and Compute Canada. Most recently, Dr. McCauley participated as a Member of both the Leadership Council for Digital Research Infrastructure and the Research Council for the Canadian Institute for Advanced Research.

Dr. McCauley received his BSc and MSc from the University of Ottawa, followed by his PhD from McGill University and a postdoctoral fellowship completed at the University of California, Santa Barbara.

Dr. McCauley is a Director on the board of Universities Canada.

Gabriel Miller is the President and CEO of Universities Canada. He is an experienced not-for-profit leader who has built an extensive track record in member relations, advocacy, stakeholder engagement, and public policy development over his 22-year career. Previously, he was the President and Chief Executive Officer of the Federation for the Humanities and Social Sciences.

Prior to joining the Federation, he served in a series of senior roles with the Canadian Cancer Society, culminating as Vice-President of Public Issues, Policy and Cancer Information, and at the Federation of Canadian Municipalities. Gabriel has extensive experience building public dialogue on complex issues such as end-of-life and palliative care, directed successful national campaigns, and been a leader in highly effective coalitions, including one that led to the federal ban on asbestos announced in 2016 and the 10-year national infrastructure plan announced in 2013. He is an experienced media spokesperson who has appeared in major national television news broadcast organizations and leading Canadian newspapers. Previously, Gabriel was the Government and Media Relations Director of the Federation of Canadian Municipalities, which represents big city mayors and municipal governments across the country.

Gabriel holds a BA in Philosophy from Queen’s University and has served as a member of several not-for-profit boards as well as on the Government of Canada’s Diamond Jubilee Advisory Committee.

Gillian Siddall was appointed President and Vice-Chancellor of Lakehead University in July 2023. Dr. Gillian Siddall first joined Lakehead University in 1998 in a tenure-track appointment in the Department of English. She went on to become the Founding Director of Lakehead’s Teaching and Learning Centre before serving as Dean of the University’s Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities for six years.

Before becoming Lakehead University’s President and Vice-Chancellor, Dr. Siddall served as President at Emily Carr University (ECU) beginning in 2018.

As ECU President, Dr. Siddall led a number of initiatives, including developing the university’s first equity, diversity and inclusion action plan; advancing the university’s commitment to reconciliation and Indigenization through curriculum, research and increasing the number of Indigenous faculty and staff; initiating ECU’s first climate action plan; and advancing ECU’s international ranking into the top 25 in the world for art and design education.

Prior to her term as ECU President, Dr. Siddall served as Vice-President Academic and Provost at Toronto’s Ontario College of Art and Design University (OCAD University) for three years. Dr. Siddall is an advocate of Indigenization, reconciliation and decolonization within the university sector. She holds an honours BA and MA in English from the University of Guelph, and a PhD in English from the University of Western Ontario.

Dr. Siddall’s area of research is Canadian literature, with a focus on musical improvisation, both within and outside literary contexts. Publications include Negotiated Moments: Improvisation, Sound, and Subjectivity (co-edited with Dr. Ellen Waterman, Duke University Press 2016); A Musical Interface for People with Severe Physical Disabilities (co-authored with Pauline Oliveros, Leaf Miller, Jaclyn Heyen, and Sergio Hazard); Music and Medicine (2011); I want to live in that music: Blues, Bessie Smith and Improvised Identities in Ann-Marie MacDonald’s Fall on Your Knees; Critical Studies in Improvisation (2005); Nice Work if You Can Get It: Women in Jazz (co-authored with Ajay Heble). in Landing on the Wrong Note: Jazz, Dissonance and Critical Practice (Routledge 2000).

Dr. Siddall is also a jazz vocalist, choral singer and co-founder of the Guelph Jazz Festival.

Dr. Siddall is a Director on the board of Universities Canada.

Charlotte Yates (she/her) is the President and Vice-Chancellor of University of Guelph and a faculty member in the Department of Political Science. Dr. Yates began at the University of Guelph in 2015 when she was recruited to serve as the university’s Provost and Vice-President, Academic. Prior to this Dr. Yates served from 2008 to 2015 as Dean of the Faculty of Social Sciences at McMaster University where she was also a faculty member in Labour Studies and Political Science.

Throughout her academic career, Dr. Yates has championed the rights of women, Indigenous peoples and other equity seeking and marginalized groups. She is firm in her belief that academic and research excellence can only be achieved when all individuals and groups are treated equitably, respectfully and fairly. Dr. Yates has combined her commitment to equity with a passion for governance and policy, strategic budgeting and institutional innovation.

From her days as a young Professor at McMaster, Dr. Yates has committed herself to student success, with a particular and decades long involvement in experiential and problem based learning and active mentorship. Her successful research career as an interdisciplinary industry- and community-engaged scholar in the fields of the Canadian automotive industry, labour markets and employment and women, work and family was forged with more than $10 million support from SSHRC and other granting bodies. Yates has authored three books, written dozens of peer-reviewed articles and reports, and supervised more than 40 graduate students and postdoctoral fellows.

Born and raised in a large family in a small town on the Prairies, Dr. Yates received her undergraduate degree from the University of Winnipeg before moving to Ontario where she completed her MA at Queen’s University and her PhD from Carleton University.

Beyond her university leadership roles, Dr. Yates has always been actively involved in community. Currently, she is Past President of the YWCA Hamilton, Director of the Automotive Policy Research Centre, a federal government appointment on the Canadian Automotive Partnership Council, and Member of the partnership board of the Centre de recherche interuniversitaire sur la mondialisation et le travail in Montreal.

Graham Carr is President and Vice-Chancellor of Concordia University. Ranked as the top North American university under 50 years old, Concordia has two Montreal campuses that are home to more than 50,000 students from more than 150 countries.

Graham’s previous leadership positions at Concordia include Provost and Vice-President, Academic Affairs; Vice-President, Research and Graduate Studies; and Dean of Graduate Studies.

Born in Quebec, Graham earned his PhD from the University of Maine and is a Professor in the Department of History. His research focuses on Cold War cultural history.

Graham sits on the steering committee of Montreal Climate Partnership (Partenariat climat Montréal) and currently serves on the board of U SPORTS, the national brand for university sports in Canada. He previously served on the board of directors of Centraide (United Way) of Greated Montreal, the Leadership Council for Digital Infrastructure, as President of the Canadian Federation for the Humanities and Social Sciences, as Chair of the Canada-US Fulbright selection committee and for many years on the National Capital Commission’s Advisory Committee for Communications, Marketing and Programming.

Dr. Joël Dickinson was appointed President and Vice-Chancellor of Mount Saint Vincent University (MSVU) on July 1, 2022.

Before joining MSVU, Dr. Dickinson was Dean of the Faculty of Arts at Laurentian University and also held the positions of Acting Associate Vice-President of Teaching and Learning (2020-2021), and Chair of the university’s Department of Psychology.

She has held a leadership role with the Laurentian University Sexuality and Gender Diversity Committee and was a long-standing member of the Presidential Advisory Committee for the Status of Women. She also served as an ex officio member of the Laurentian University Native Education Council, through which she has had the honour of learning from the Atikameksheng Anishnawbek First Nations People.

She has previously taught at the University of New Brunswick and Mount Allison University. Dr. Dickinson holds a Psychology Honours, Bachelor of Arts and PhD in Psychology from the University of New Brunswick.

She is a Full Professor of Psychology with a research focus in cognitive processing during schema violations. She has experience in development and training for diversity and inclusion workshops. She has a successful teaching and research career, winning the Laurentian University Teaching Excellence award in 2016.

She is an active community volunteer and has worked with many non-profit organizations and advisory boards, including the Women in Cognitive Science Canada Advisory Board and Réseau Access Network. She currently serves as a Director on the Board of 211 Nova Scotia, is Chair of the Governance Committee on the Universities Canada Board and is the Vice-Chair of the Advisory Committee on Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Policy (ACEDIP).

Throughout her career she has demonstrated her commitment to engaging with faculty, staff, students and the local community and continues to be an advocate for those overcoming situations of adversity to succeed.

Dr. Mohamed Lachemi is President and Vice-Chancellor of Toronto Metropolitan University (formerly Ryerson University), first appointed in 2016 and reappointed to a second term concluding in 2026. An internationally recognized researcher and accomplished academic administrator, he has been a key contributor to the growth and development of Toronto Metropolitan University over a transformational time in the university’s history. A Professor of Civil Engineering since 1998, he has served in progressively senior roles, including Dean of the Faculty of Engineering and Architectural Science, and Provost and Vice-President Academic. As President he has promoted the establishment of Toronto Metropolitan University as a global university, led the development and creation of ground-breaking schools in law and medicine and overseen the launch of Rogers Cybersecure Catalyst – a national centre for cybersecurity. Under his direction Toronto Metropolitan University was awarded leadership of the Future Skills Centre consortium, which aims to ensure Canadians develop the skills they need in the new economy.

A graduate of L’Université des Sciences et de la Technologie d’Oran in Algeria (Civil Engineering, with distinction) and L’Université de Sherbrooke (MASc and PhD, Structural Engineering), Dr. Lachemi is the Past Chair of the Council of Ontario Universities, Chair of the finance committee of Universities Canada, Fellow of the Canadian Society for Civil Engineering, Fellow of the Canadian Academy of Engineering and a Board Member of Trillium Health Partners, Rogers Communications Inc., Hackergal and DMZ Ventures. He was a Member of the National Research Council from 2018 to 2021.

Dr. Rhonda N. McEwen is the 14th President and Vice-Chancellor of Victoria University in the University of Toronto; Canada Research Chair in Tactile Interfaces, Communication and Cognition; a Professor of Emerging Media & Communication at the Institute of Communication, Culture, Information and Technology; and has graduate faculty appointments at the: Department of Computer Science; Institute of the History and Philosophy of Science and Technology; and Faculty of Information – University of Toronto.

As a Chevening Scholar, Dr. McEwen graduated from City, University of London, England with an MBA in Information Technology Management (high honours). She also earned a MSc in Telecommunications (summa cum laude) from the University of Colorado Boulder; and a PhD in Information from the University of Toronto. A world renowned researcher in human-machine communication, Dr. McEwen combines applied and behavioral science approaches with communication studies theory to examine the social and cognitive effects of technologies. Her pioneering approach to communication research employs experimental techniques, eye tracking, observations, sensor data and interviews to investigate emerging technology used by children and adults, including those diagnosed with communication and learning disorders.

Dr. McEwen has worked with and researched digital communications media for over 20 years, both in companies providing services, and in management consulting to those companies. Dr. McEwen’s research has appeared in CBC 60 Minutes, Nine 9 News Australia, CBC Radio, the Boston Globe, the Toronto Star and the Globe and Mail. She has over 47 publications, including the co-edited Sage Handbook of Human-Machine Communication (2023), and articles in Human-Robot Interaction Companion; Information, Communication & Society; Computers and Education; New Media and Society; and information science journals.

Dr. Philip Steenkamp, President and Vice-Chancellor of Royal Roads University, is a galvanizing leader with broad experience.

Spanning a 17-year career in public service, Steenkamp held senior leadership positions in multiple provincial ministries, including Deputy Minister from 1997 to 2011.

As President and Chief Executive Officer of the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Games Secretariat, Steenkamp held provincial oversight and management of the largest event, at that time, in the world.

Recent positions include Vice-President, External Relations at the University of British Columbia and Simon Fraser University.

He has served on numerous boards and committees, including the Dr. Peter AIDS Foundation, the Immigrant Employment Council of BC and the Michael Smith Foundation for Health Research. Currently, Steenkamp is Chair of Universities Canada’s international committee, Chair of the Research Universities’ Council of BC (RUCBC) and Chair of The Conversation Canada.

His academic roles have included Adjunct Assistant Professor at Queen’s University, Research Fellow at the University of Namibia and Assistant Professor and Postdoctoral Fellow in the Department of History at the University of Victoria, with a focus on African history.

Steenkamp holds a PhD in History from Queen’s University (1989), a Master of Arts in History from Queen’s University (1986) and a Bachelor of Arts (Hons) from the University of Natal, Durban (1983).

In 2003, he was named a Queen’s Golden Jubilee Medal recipient for outstanding public service to the people of British Columbia. In 2024, he received the King Charles III Coronation Medal, recognizing those who have made significant contributions to Canada and their home provinces.