CANSSI Director Don Estep has agreed to serve as Associate Dean of Research (ADR) in the Faculty of Science at Simon Fraser University (SFU), the institution that hosts CANSSI’s national office.
Science Dean Angela Brooks-Wilson announced the three-year appointment in August, noting that Don received “overwhelming support” in the ratification vote.
“The ADR helps the Faculty pursue research goals and represents the Faculty in university discussions about research,” explained Don. “The position involves things like talking to people, giving guidance for applying for grants, helping people request support from the university, addressing EDI issues arising in research, and encouraging collaboration.”
He sees the position as complementary to his roles as CANSSI director and Canada research chair.
“This gives me the opportunity to better understand how research funding for universities works in Canada in general and how Simon Fraser operates in particular. This will be helpful as we begin discussions about renewing support for CANSSI with Simon Fraser. Also, Simon Fraser is opening a new medical school, and this provides me a greater opportunity to offer opinions about the role of statistics in that development.”
