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Office of the Provost & Vice-President (Academic)

Academic Excellence

Reporting Units

Meet Our Leaders

The office of the Provost and Vice-President (Academic) is the gathering point for all matters academic including enrolment management; program development and assessment; faculty recruitment, retention and promotion; student life; budget and space allocation; and strategic planning. The following units report to the Provost and Vice-President (Academic):

Faculty Deans

Dean, DeGroote School of Business - Khaled Hassanein Learn More

Dr. Khaled Hassanein began his term as Dean of the Faculty of Business on July 1, 2021.

Dr. Hassanein was previously Associate Dean of Graduate Studies and Research for the DeGroote School of Business, director of the McMaster Digital Transformation Research Centre, and McMaster’s SSHRC Leader. He received his undergraduate education at Kuwait University and completed master’s and PhD degrees in electrical engineering from the universities of Toronto and Waterloo, and an MBA from Wilfrid Laurier University.

Dean, Faculty of Engineering - Heather Sheardown Learn More

Dr. Heather Sheardown is Dean of the Faculty of Engineering, a Professor of Chemical Engineering, Tier 1 Canada Research Chair in Ophthalmic Biomaterials and Drug Delivery Systems and Associate Director of the Fraunhofer Project Centre for Biomedical Engineering and Advanced Manufacturing.

An expert in contact lens materials, IOLs, polymer chemistry, bioengineering and drug delivery in the ophthalmic space, Dr. Sheardown serves as scientific director of C20/20, an incubator for biomedical technologies.

Dr. Sheardown is the first woman to lead as dean of engineering at McMaster.

Dean and Vice-President, Faculty of Health Sciences - Paul O'Byrne Learn More

Dr. Paul O’Byrne is Dean and Vice-President of the Faculty of Health Sciences. He is a world-renowned respiratory physician, whose research and practice focus on the causes and treatment of asthma. Dr. O’Byrne has published more than 550 peer-reviewed papers and 100 book chapters and has been elected as a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada.

The Dean and Vice-President, Health Sciences, collaborates closely with the Provost and reports directly to the President and Vice-Chancellor.

Dean, Faculty of Humanities - Pamela Swett Learn More

Dr. Pamela Swett, Dean of the Faculty of Humanities, was named to the role in 2019.

From 2017 until her appointment as dean, Dr. Swett was the Faculty’s associate dean of graduate studies and research, and from 2011 to 2017 she served as Chair of the Department of History. She is an internationally recognized social and cultural historian of modern Germany and the author or editor of six books on the Weimar and Nazi eras.

Acting Dean, Faculty of Science - Gianni Parise Learn More

Dr. Gianni Parise is acting dean of the Faculty of Science, which has nearly 9,000 undergraduate and graduate students and more than 350 faculty and staff.

Dr. Parise is the lab lead for the Molecular Exercise Physiology and Muscle Aging Research lab and a member of the Exercise Metabolism Research Group. His research excellence has been recognized with funding from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada, Canadian Institutes of Health Research and the Canadian Foundation for Innovation.

Dean, Faculty of Social Sciences - Jeremiah Hurley Learn More

Dr. Jeremiah Hurley is Dean of the Faculty of Social Sciences; a professor in the Department of Economics; associate member of the Department of Health Research Methods, Evidence, and Impact; and a member of the Centre for Health Economics and Policy Analysis at McMaster.

Dr. Hurley’s research focuses on the economics of health and health-care systems. He has published in leading health economic, health policy, and health services research journals and authored the Canadian health economics textbook, Health Economics.

Executive Vice-Dean and Associate Vice-President, Academic, Faculty of Health Sciences – Dina Brooks Learn More

In this role, Dr. Brooks works in tandem with the Dean and Vice President, Faculty of Health Sciences (FHS) to oversee academic strategy and operations. She is also the Vice-Dean, FHS and Executive Director of the School of Rehabilitation Science. Dr. Brooks is recognized internationally as a researcher and leader in cardiorespiratory rehabilitation. She is a Fellow of the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences and a recipient of the Enid Graham Award and the Queen’s Jubilee Medal.

Academic & Administrative Leaders

Deputy Provost - Matheus Grasselli Learn More

Dr. Matheus Grasselli is the inaugural Deputy Provost at McMaster University, where he is primarily responsible for faculty relations and leadership programs, academic integrity, and strategic enrolment.

Previously at McMaster he served as Chair in the Department of Mathematics and Statistics and as Acting Director of the School of Computational Sciences and Engineering. He was also the Deputy Director of the Fields Institute for Research in Mathematical Sciences in Toronto, the premier mathematical sciences institute in Canada. His main current research interest is climate finance.

Vice-Provost, Teaching and Learning - Kim Dej Learn More

Dr. Kim Dej is Vice-Provost, Teaching and Learning. The position is tasked with enhancing the quality of teaching both within and beyond instructional spaces, as well as the implementation of McMaster’s first teaching and learning strategy and first digital learning strategic framework, both of which she helped create. Dr. Dej oversees Undergraduate Council, the MacPherson Institute for Teaching and Learning, the Office of Community Engagement, and the new INSPIRE Office, which supports teaching innovation occurring across campus through the intersession term, interdisciplinary partnerships, short courses, and microcredential offerings. In 2023 she co-chaired the task force exploring the use of generative AI by both educators and learners.

Vice-Provost and Dean of Graduate Studies - Steve Hranilovic Learn More

Dr. Steve Hranilovic is Vice-Provost and Dean of Graduate Studies. The position heads the School of Graduate Studies, which is responsible for leading the innovation of graduate education, professional development of graduate students, as well as supporting research training and postdoctoral fellows in all Faculties.

He is an active researcher and is ranked among the world’s top 2 per cent of scientific experts, according to a database published by Stanford University and Elsevier.

Associate Vice-President (Students and Learning) & Dean of Students - Sean Van Koughnett Learn More

Sean Van Koughnett has served as Associate Vice-President (Students & Learning) and Dean of Students since 2013 and has held a range of leadership roles in higher education since 2001. He is responsible for leading Student Affairs and its many programs and services supporting student life, well-being, belonging, and success. Under Van Koughnett’s leadership, McMaster has strengthened its commitment to the student experience, built greater capacity in our programs, services and spaces, and developed innovative ways to make an enduring impact. The Dean of Students works collaboratively with university partners to provide holistic, personalized student support and create learning opportunities that facilitate active engagement and maximize effective learning.

Vice-Provost (International Affairs) - Bonny Ibhawoh Learn More

Dr. Bonny Ibhawoh brings more than 30 years of teaching and research in the fields of Global Human Rights, Legal History, Peace/Conflict Studies in Europe, Africa, and North America.

The Vice-Provost (International Affairs) is responsible for providing strategic leadership for McMaster’s international portfolio, including developing strategic partnerships to enhance research, growing the university’s international presence and profile, and aligning international student recruitment strategies.

Vice-Provost, Equity & Inclusion - Barrington Walker Learn More

Dr. Barrington Walker is an accomplished scholar and leader of the Equity and Inclusion Office (EIO).

He is responsible for guiding inclusive excellence and leading the development and implementation of institution-wide strategic equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI) priorities. As leader of the EIO, Walker oversees various programs and services including, Human Rights and Dispute Resolution, Inclusion and Anti-Racism Education, the Accessibility Program and Sexual Violence and Prevention Response.

Director (McMaster Museum of Art) - Betty Julian Learn More

Betty Julian is the interim Director and Senior Curator at the McMaster Museum of Art. She joined the museum in 2022 as adjunct senior curator, bringing over thirty years of experience in the visual arts working as independent curator, art educator and consultant. Born in Halifax, Mi’kma’ki (Nova Scotia), Julian is an off-reserve citizen of the Sipekne’katnik First Nation and of the Black diaspora. She began her professional arts career in 1988 at A Space in Toronto. Since then, she has worked across renowned Canadian art institutions including Prefix ICA as founding member of the curatorial council (2004-2018) and as adjunct curator (2019-2021), and as assistant professor and sessional faculty in the photography program at OCAD University (2001-2015).

Associate Vice-President and University Librarian - Vivian Lewis Learn More

Vivian Lewis was appointed McMaster University Librarian in 2013, marking an exciting milestone in an already successful career at the university that spans more than three decades. In her current role, Lewis oversees all operations for McMaster University Library as it moves forward on its mission to deliver innovative services, welcoming spaces and exemplary collections to accelerate research, enhance learning and improve the user experience. McMaster University Library includes Mills Memorial Library (Social Sciences and Humanities), H.G. Thode Library of Science and Engineering, and Innis Library (Business).

Assistant Vice-President & Chief Technology Officer - Gayleen Gray Learn More

Gayleen Gray is the Associate Vice President and Chief Technology Officer at McMaster University. She has 24 years of experience in Higher Education Technology and has been with McMaster since 2017.

Gayleen is accountable to the Provost and VP (Academic) and to the VP, Operations and Finance and is responsible for IT Governance, IT strategy, Cyber Security and guidance on all matters related to technology at McMaster.

Associate Vice-President, Academic Planning and Finance – Melissa Pool

Melissa Pool is the Associate Vice-President, Academic Planning and Finance. In this position, she takes a broad enterprise-wide perspective of academic planning and finance across all Faculties, and plays a key leadership role in supporting the Provost in overseeing the full range of academic and support units that report to the Provost, ensuring that optimal strategic decisions are made in support of the overall academic mission of the institution. Pool previously served as McMaster’s University Registrar for nearly 13 years overseeing critical enrolment functions from recruiting and admissions through registration, course and exam scheduling and student aid and services to convocation.

Associate Director, Academic Projects and Reviews – Nancy McKenzie

Dr. Nancy McKenzie plays a key leadership role in the planning and prioritization of pan-institutional initiatives of strategic importance led by the Office of the Provost. These include external reviews, searches, funding award programs, and special projects of critical importance. Nancy also supports the Provost in prioritizing key issues and enabling them to advance strategic goals.

Nancy has extensive academic project development and management experience through her roles as an Assistant Professor (CLA) in the Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology (2008-2014) and as Manager of the Biomedical Discovery and Commercialization Program (2014-2022).

She is passionate about enhancing McMaster’s academic priorities and embraces its culture of innovation and excellence.