Meet the Team

Role:

• Vice-Principal and Associate Vice-President, Research and Innovation

Research Focus: 

Comparative animal physiology, focused on understanding how fish will cope with ongoing climate warming.

Profile:

Dr. Suzie Currie is the vice-principal and associate vice-president, Research and Innovation and a professor of biology. In her leadership role, she leads the strategic direction of UBC Okanagan’s research enterprise and provides oversight to advance research, scholarly activity and innovation. An integral member of both the senior leadership team for the UBC Okanagan campus and the senior team for the UBC Office of the Vice-President Research and Innovation in Vancouver, she plays a critical leadership role in advancing and realizing the discovery, partnership and innovation goals set out in UBC’s Strategic Directions.

Originally from Nova Scotia, Dr. Currie is an environmental physiologist who studies how social environments influence the way fishes respond to climate warming.

Dr. Currie holds an MSc and PhD in Biology from Queen’s University and completed NSERC and Leverhulme-funded Postdoctoral Fellowships at the University of Cambridge, where she also served as the Charles and Katherine Darwin Research Fellow at Darwin College.

Role:

• Associate Vice-Principal, Research and Innovation

Research Focus: 

Biogeochemistry; stable isotopes; biosphere-atmosphere exchange of greenhouse gases; natural and restored wetlands; lakes; soil; groundwater; trace gas analysis; automation of monitoring equipment.

Profile:

Dr. Edward Hornibrook is the associate vice-principal, Research and Innovation and a professor of biogeochemistry. He has a leadership role for research infrastructure on the UBC Okanagan Campus, including responsibility for Shared Research Platforms (Core Facilities) and Institutes. Dr. Hornibrook also serves as chair or co-chair for a range of adjudication committees for internal awards and research funding.

Dr. Hornibrook’s research investigates how production, uptake and emission of greenhouse gases from soil and wetlands are impacted by environmental change. He holds a B.Sc. in Geological Engineering from the University of New Brunswick and a Ph.D. in Geology from the University of Western Ontario. At UBC, he has served two terms as Head of the Earth and Environmental Sciences Department and as interim associate dean, Faculty and Research for the Irving K. Barber Faculty of Science. Prior to joining UBC, he was a faculty member at the University of Bristol in the UK.

Cory Habermehl
Communications Manager
cory.habermehl@ubc.ca

Contact me for:

• Strategic and tactical communications advice and support
• Information on support services and initiatives available from the OVPRI
• Help promoting your UBCO research to internal or external audiences

Kristen Hovet
Communications Strategist
kristen.hovet@ubc.ca

Contact me for:

• Storytelling about UBCO research and innovation
• Updates for OVPRI-supported websites and social channels
• Support within OVPRI portfolio for effectively communicating research-related information

Stacy Penner (on leave)
Communications Strategist
stacy.penner@ubc.ca

Contact me for:

• Storytelling about UBCO research and innovation
• Updates for OVPRI-supported websites and social channels
• Support within OVPRI portfolio for effectively communicating research-related information

Katelyn Singler
Finance Manager | katelyn.singler@ubc.ca

Contact me for:

• Financial reporting for University General Purpose Operating (GPO) Funds, including annual and quarterly requirements
• Budget planning and financial analysis for the OVPRI portfolio
• Financial information and reviews to support analytical and decision-making needs

Annamaria Soth
Finance and Human Resources Administrator
250-807-8272 | annamaria.soth@ubc.ca

Contact me for:

• Support with various Finance and HR Workday inquiries
• Information on UBC Finance policies and protocols
• Portfolio-wide assistance with extensive payment processes

James McCartney
Industry Project Officer
604-722-4772 | James.McCartney@ubc.ca

Contact me for:

• Intellectual Property (IP) strategy and patent support for UBCO research and inventions
• Technology transfer and licensing guidance, including the NSERC I2I program
• Entrepreneurship guidance and connections to Innovation UBC programming (e.g., Venture Founder)

Kayla Cartlidge
UBC VMS Program Manager kayla.cartlidge@ubc.ca

Contact me for:

• UBC researchers, students, and innovators interested in joining UBC VMS as mentees to develop leadership skills and advance their venture
• Professionals interested in becoming volunteer mentors and learning how our team-based mentorship model works
• Community partners looking to engage with UBC VMS through collaborations, events, or ecosystem opportunities

Angela Perry
Office and Human Resources Administrator
250-807-8604 | angela.perry@ubc.ca

Contact me for:

• Innovation UBC process navigation
• Progress updates on active industry and government agreements
• OVPRI HR and administrative support

Pierre Rondier
Manager, Strategic Initiatives and Operations
250-807-9438 | pierre.rondier@ubc.ca

Contact me for:

• Support for large-scale research initiatives and institutional funding strategies (e.g., CFI/BCKDF, Special JELF cap requests, Excellence Funds, PacifiCan)
• Strategic support for major award nominations (e.g., CRC, CERC, Impact+)
• Strategic guidance on complex, multi-partner project management

Nicole Bennett
Internal Programs Manager
nicole.bennett@ubc.ca

Contact me for:

• Internal funding and award programs sponsored by the OVPRI
• Questions, advice and guidance on internal program terms, assessment criteria, expenses, eligibility, deadlines, annual reporting, etc.
• Issues with the online grant management system “UBCO VPRI Research + Innovation”

Amanda Sheehan
Partnership Development Specialist
amanda.sheehan@ubc.ca

Contact me for:

• Support with partnership outreach, development and partnered funding opportunities (outside of Tri-Council)
• Research and innovation engagements with the City of Kelowna (lead for the UBCO–City of Kelowna Research Alliance partnership)
• Industry and community organizations looking to advance their organizations by engaging with UBC researchers

Lisa Shearer
Manager, Administration and Compliance
250-807-8832 | lisa.shearer@ubc.ca

Contact me for:

• Pre- and post-award grants administration and compliance inquiries, including institutional sign-off on applications and awards
• Oversight and management of the Behavioural Research Ethics Board and the review and approval of ethics applications
• Administration and compliance review of grant applications

Rachel Howard (on leave)
Research Ethics and Compliance Officer
250-807-8467 | rachel.howard@ubc.ca

Contact me for:

• US government funding (NIH, NSF, etc.)
• Ethics certification applications
• Ethics certificate post-approval activities (annual renewals, amendments, and study closures)

Meredith Levorson
Grants Administrator
meredith.levorson@ubc.ca

Contact me for:

• Grant account administration
• Complex research account inquiries

Kristen England
Grants Clerk
250-807-9412 | kristen.england@ubc.ca

Contact me for:

• Obtaining institutional signatures for grant applications
• Administrative processes of grant applications
• General pre- and post-award inquiries, including managing the ORS inbox

Denise Maines
Manager, Research Development
250-807-8510 | ADM006 (WK04)
denise.maines@ubc.ca

Contact me for:

• Research awards and prizes
• SSHRC Insight and Insight Development Grants
• CIHR Grants (June-Sept 2027)

Joyceline Amoako
Research Development Officer, Health
joyceline.amoako@ubc.ca

Contact me for:

• CIHR grants
• MSHRBC programs
• Health Foundation Grants such as PHAC and Health Canada

Melanie Fenton
Research Development Officer, Natural Sciences and Engineering
melanie.fenton@ubc.ca

Contact me for:

• NSERC Alliance Advantage, Society and Special Calls
• NSERC Discovery Grants and Discovery Horizons
• NFRF Transformations

Chris Hendershot
Research Support Specialist
chris.hendershot@ubc.ca

Contact me for:

• SSHRC Partnership Engage Grants, Connection Grants, Partnership Development Grants, Knowledge Synthesis Grants, Partnership Grants
• Research security: general questions and grant application requirements
• Transfer agreements and sub-grants

Hanna Paul
Indigenous Research Facilitator
hanna.paul@ubc.ca

Contact me for:

• Research design support for Indigenous-led research
• Indigenous principles support for Indigenous-led research
• Grant proposal support for Indigenous-led research

Natalie Rodriguez
Director, Interdisciplinarity and Operations x̌əl sic snpax̌nwixʷtn
natalie.rodriguez@ubc.ca

Contact me for:

• Interdisciplinary research programming, infrastructure, supports and collaboration opportunities
• Strategic research initiatives
• Special projects, community engagement, EDI, capacity building and cultural change