Reporting Units

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.

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.

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.

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.

Dr. Bruce Newbold is acting dean of the Faculty of Science. He has served as associate dean of Graduate Studies and as director of the School of Earth, Environment & Society.

Dr. Newbold has held a number of other leadership roles across McMaster during his 25-year career with the university, including as chair of the President’s Advisory Committee on Natural Lands, director of the McMaster Institute of Environment & Health and a member of the Master’s in Public Health program committee, McMaster Accommodation Review committee, and McMaster Research Ethics Board.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Beverly Jacobs (Mohawk Nation, Bear Clan of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy) is a nationally recognized scholar, advocate and leader appointed as McMaster University’s inaugural Vice-Provost, Indigenous, with a joint appointment in the Faculty of Social Sciences. She previously served as an associate professor and senior advisor on Indigenous relations at the University of Windsor and led a 22-year law practice in her home community of Six Nations. Jacobs is a former president of the Native Women’s Association of Canada and a Member of the Order of Canada, known for her impactful work advancing Indigenous research, education and advocacy.

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.

Mary Reid is the Director and Senior Curator at the McMaster Museum of Art. Reid’s experience includes public and university-affiliated galleries, having served as the director and curator of the Woodstock Art Gallery and having spent three years as director and curator of the School of Art Gallery at the University of Manitoba. She has also lectured and taught at the University of Winnipeg and the University of Manitoba, focusing on contemporary art, curatorial practice, museum studies and critical writing.

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).

Gayleen Gray is the Associate Vice-President and Chief Technology Officer at McMaster University. She has 25 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.