Researchers

Jean-Paul Amore
Coordinator, Game Development, Game Design and Advanced Digital Design

For over 14 years, Jean-Paul (“JP”) has been producing and developing interactive media for Toronto-based software firms, in the areas of educational video games, mobile applications and financial software.

Luigi Ferrara MRAIC, OAA, Hon. ACID O, President ICSID
Dean, School of Design

Mr. Ferrara is currently the Director of the School of Design and the Chairman of the Architectural Literacy Forum. Mr. Ferrara has lectured extensively, speaking at national and international conferences, trade shows, conventions and at leading museums, galleries and institutes on topics as diverse as design and sustainability, design management, urban planning, information technology, telecommunications and the network society.

Alice Lee, M.B.A., Manager,
DigiFest, Digital Media and Gaming Incubator and Student Experience, Centre for Design

Ms. Lee is the Manager of the Digital Media and Gaming Incubator in the School of Design and was instrumental to its development and opening in 2012.  Her background comes as a Project Management Professional (PMP) with extensive experience in start-ups, arts administration, event management and marketing.

Jim Kinney, B.Sc., M.T.S.
Coordinator, Foundation Art & Design

Professor Kinney is a design instructor with a McLuhanistic focus. He has worked on developing adaptive strategies in rapidly innovating and obsolescing environments and was recognized for developing (2003-2007) RISK (Rapid Integraton of Skills & Knowledge)-based learning methods—an early “flipped” pedagogy.

Lorraine Betts
Simulated Practice Centre Program Coordinator, Center for Health Sciences

Lorraine Betts, BSc, BScN, RN, is the Simulated Practice Centre Program Coordinator, Collaborative Nursing Degree with the Sally Horsfall Eaton School of Nursing since September 2002. She has led the coordination of Simulation with the Collaborative BScN Program Workshops. Her areas of research focus on Simulation Emergency Nursing. Ms. Betts has a Master of Nursing from York University, a BScN (Nursing) from Ryerson University as well as a Nursing Diploma, Nursing from George Brown College.

Dr. Kimberly Bezaire
Professor, School of Early Childhood Education

Dr. Kimberly Bezaire is an expert in Early Childhood Education, specializing in play and early years curriculum.  Kimberly relates the latest research & theory to everyday practical teaching and parenting.  Dr. Kimberly Bezaire is a Registered Early Childhood Educator – a parent, author, artist, consultant and researcher – who has worked in early years settings in British Columbia and Ontario.

Julie Gaudet, RN, BScN, MN (Admin.)
Professor, Health Sciences and Community Services

Julie Gaudet is a professor in the Division of Health Sciences and Community Services, currently teaching in the collaborative Nursing Degree Program, at George Brown College. Julie has special interests in nursing research, statistical literacy, e-learning, health informatics and interprofessional education (IPE). Julie is engaged in a number of research projects at the College and has published in the area of interprofessional education.

Iris Epstein RN, PhD 
Professor, Collaborative Nursing Degree Program

Iris completed her Doctorate studies from the University of Toronto in 2007. Using arts inform qualitative methods, her thesis focused on the perspectives and responses of children with cancer on a specialized camp. Iris has also taught several courses in the undergraduate programs; these include courses in nursing ethics and community nursing.

Monica McGlynn-Stewart, B.A., D.C.S., M.ED., Ph.D. 
Professor, School of Early Childhood

For nearly 20 years Monica has researched, presented, and published on many topics including teacher action research, reflective practice, student engagement, and literacy learning and teaching. Prior to joining the George Brown Faculty in January 2012, she was an Instructor and Faculty Advisor in the School of Early Childhood Education at Ryerson University for 7 years.

Gordon Ruder
Orthotic/Prosthetic Technician (S102)

Gordon is an experienced Orthotist and Coordinator of the Prosthetic and Orthotic Program at George Brown College for the past 25 years. A graduate of the Prosthetic and Orthotic Clinical Methods program himself, Gordon has taught full time at George Brown and as a lecturer with the Toronto Rehab Institute. He has focused his career on the relationship between education, research and the technical and clinical aspects of orthotic practice, with a strong focus on evidence-based research.

Tricia Ryan
Director, FIRSt

Tricia Ryan joins FIRSt as Director, Food and Beverage Research after a long career consulting for clients across all sectors of the food, alcohol beverage, retail, and hospitality industry. Her focus has been marketing and research, client servicing and communications that span an array of business issues and opportunities including concept development, market entry, revenue growth, performance measurement and management, branding and customer insight, leadership training and coaching.

Robert McCurdy
Senior Food Scientist, FIRSt

Robert McCurdy brings considerable academic and industry experience to his role as the Applied Research Food Scientist at George Brown College. Rob has more than 18 years of experience in product development, project management, quality systems design and development, scientific writing and experimental design within the food industry. Rob’s retail & food service experience includes roles as a Quality Scientist (Royal Canin Canada), Senior Scientist (Masterfoods USA), and Product Development Manager (Lyons Magnus).

Candace Rambert
Culinary Technologist, FIRSt

Candace Rambert has a B.AA from the University of Windsor and is an alumnus of the George Brown College (GBC) Culinary Management program and Culinary Arts – Italian postgraduate program. Candace has 12 years of foodservice experience in catering, hotels and restaurants. Her expertise in recipe development and knowledge of product development processes and specialty equipment make her an asset when working with the food scientists and culinary students at Food Innovation and Research Studio (FIRSt).

Bob McDougall
Consulting Senior Food Scientist, FIRSt

Bob’s career in food product development, research training and mentoring, quality control and field assessment has taken him across Toronto, Northern Ontario, New Jersey and Brazil. If you have ever enjoyed jalapeno havarti, the world-wide gold standard for Pizza Hut crust and pepperoni, or toaster chicken you have sampled a small selection of Bob’s portfolio. His resume spans the development of 200+ food products and menu items for many major food services and retail brands.

Winnie Chiu
Food Product & Industry Advisor, FIRSt

Winnie Chiu is an experienced food scientist who brings over 20 years of research and development experience in both consumer packaged foods and the flavour ingredient business. Over her tenure at GBC, she has led 32 research projects with private food companies and healthcare sector partners.

Emily Lim
Food Scientist, FIRSt

Emily’s interest in the culinary specialty of the food industry began when she participated in the 2016 Research Chef’s Association: Student Product Development Competition in Denver, a team based cooking competition. Emily brings a diverse set of student experience with her, previously working with the Biscuit R&D Team at Mondelez International (working with brands Oreo and Chips Ahoy), as a microbial technologist at Maple Leaf Foods, and as a research assistant for the Canadian Institute for Food Safety (CRIFS) at the University of Guelph. She has also acted as a representative, coordinator and president in various food science associations and clubs.

Steffanie Adams
Retrofit technologies

Steffanie Adams has been a faculty member with George Brown’s Architectural Studies for 7 years. Her work to retrofit the Toronto skyline constructed a bridge between the practices of the past with the sustainable aims of the future. Adams was part of the applied research team that developed a retrofit of Toronto’s older homes.

Dr. Khalid Danok
Electrical Engineering, Electromagnetics

Dr. Khalid Danok has a PhD in Electrical Engineering, Electromagnetics and RF propagation from St. Petersburg Technical University, Member of Professional Engineers Ontario P.Eng. Dr. Danok is an active member of the GBC research community, leading research in areas like RFID, Wireless Networking, and VoIP technologies.

James McIntyre
Mechanical Engineering, Prototyping

Through his involvement in applied research, James McIntyre, a Professor of Engineering Technology at GBC, has developed strong partnerships with industry to provide consulting, contract training and prototype build support for their employees.

Clint Kissoon
Building Information Modeling

Clint Kissoon, B.Sc., MRICS, MCIOB, PQS (F), GBC. Clint Kissoon is currently the Chair of GBC’s School of Architectural Studies and the Angelo Del Zotto School of Construction Management, and leads the College’s research in Building Information Modeling.

Paul O’Brien
Mechanical Engineering, Prototyping

Paul O’Brien, B.Tech., B.Sc., has been a Professor of Engineering Technology in GBC’s CCET since 2011. With a Bachelor of Technology degree in Electronics Engineering Technology, a Bachelor of Science in Biology, and over 20 years of experience in electronic instrumentation and rehabilitation engineering, Paul has worked in research across all of the College’s strategic priority areas.

Leo Salemi
Building Automation

Leo Salemi has been a Professor at GBC since 1983. His area of expertise is in the field of Instrumentation and Automation and he has been a lead investigator in over a dozen student-centred, industry-driven projects in areas such as solar voltaic, solar heating, wind energy, home automation, building automation, energy management and remote monitoring systems.

Dr. Amir Shabani
Chair, IRCC

Dr. Amir Shabani has a Ph.D. in Systems Design Engineering from the University of Waterloo Canada and a M.Sc.  in Electrical Engineering. (University of Science and Technology, Iran). Dr. Shabani has a longstanding academic reputation in advanced systems design for health care, security, and automation industries.

Elizabeth Speers, B.Sc., M.SC., B.Ed., M.Ed., Ed.D. 
Academic Director, Centre for Business

Mrs. Speers has over 20 years of experience in education and business. This experience includes teaching in university, college and high school programs as well as senior management roles in industry in process reengineering, supply chain and strategic change management, and human resources.

Mark Simpson, B.A.A.
Professor and Program Coordinator, Centre for Business

Mr. Simpson has over 34 years of experience in education and business. He is the coordinator of the Institute of Entrepreneurship and Community Innovation (IECI).  Mark is also the Faculty Advisor for SIFE (Students In Free Enterprise) George Brown. Mark was a recipient of the George Brown College Excellence in Teaching and Learning Innovation in 2009.

Robin Yap, MSc, LLB, DM, CTDP
Professor, Centre for Business

Robin Yap is an award-winning research-practitioner with over 25 years of experience in corporate Human Resources departments of Global Fortune 100 companies where he held executive level roles. Concurrently he has taught at various universities including Oxford Brooks (UK) New York University Stern Business School (USA), Columbia University Teacher’s College (USA), Universidad de Catalunya (Spain), Tokyo Christian University 東京基督教大学 (Japan) and Maastric University (Netherlands). Robin has been a featured guest at CNN-Asia, CTV, and CBC-Metro Morning (Toronto and Kitchener/Waterloo). His research foci is on the intersection of organizational behaviour, learning, technology, social media, and leadership.

Allan Esser
Professor, School of Management, Center for Business

With over 20 years of industry experience in advanced business analytics, Allan’s passion is in solving problems by developing and delivering solutions that add value through transforming data into knowledge and actionable decisions that can deliver measurable bottom-line results. Allan’s applied research interests span a range of areas including; information management, database design, marketing research, direct marketing analysis, customer segmentation and strategy development, automated decision process re-engineering, research methods and design, financial modeling, credit and market risk management. He has worked with risk management industry thought leaders such Algorithmics, as well as a full range of domestic and International Financial institutions including; Bank of Montreal, GE, and Scotiabank International.

Charles Anyinam
Professor, Sally Horsfall Eaton School of Nursing

Charles Anyinam is an award-winning nursing educator. His research interests include disability and diversity within nursing and post-secondary education, and he is currently completing his PhD dissertation examining the workplace experiences of nurses with disabilities. Past recognition includes the 2013 Registered Nurses Association of Ontario’s Leadership Award in Nursing Education and the Dean’s Teaching Award, York University’s Faculty of Health, 2009.

Jaswant Bajwa, PhD.
Professor, Centre for Preparatory and Liberal Studies (CPLS)

Jaswant Bajwa has worked as an anti-violence advocate, academician and community researcher, consultant and clinician for over 25 years. She uses an intersectional lens in her practice and is passionate about the use of education as a tool for social change and empowerment. Since the early 1990s, both her research and practice have focused on the impact of violence on learning and the educational changes (both at micro and systemic levels) that need to be made in order to foster a safe and inclusive learning environment for students with histories of violence. In this role, she provides leadership to staff and students and is responsible for the development of the research capacity within the division. She has a PhD in Clinical Psychology with a focus on psychological burnout in caring professionals.

Jonathan Callegher, PhD.
Professor, School of Marketing

Dr. Jonathan Callegher is a professor in the School of Marketing, where he is Program Coordinator of two highly popular post-graduate certificate programs: Sport & Event Marketing and Strategic Relationship Marketing. He is the author of Pearson Canada’s next marketing research textbook, Marketing Research for Marketers (2018). Dr. Callegher has a Ph.D. in sociology from the University of Waterloo.

Taras Gula
Professor, Health Sciences

Taras has been a professor at George Brown College since 2002 after a 12 year career teaching mathematics in the Toronto District School Board. He teaches courses in mathematics, statistics, and research methods to students in the Health Science Division. Taras’ research has been focused on improving mathematics and statistics education for non-mathematicians, but he has also supported research in Inter-professional Education and other health sciences education research formally and informally. As part of larger research projects Taras has led a team that evaluated the adaptation of JUMP math to the college setting (HRSDC sponsored) and created on-line learning tools (www.mathessentials.ca and www.statcat.ca).

Gary Hoyer
AOS, eMBA
Professor, Hospitality Management

Gary Hoyer, AOS, eMBA, is currently a Professor of Hospitality Management and Program Coordinator for the Bachelor of Business Administration (Hospitality) Degree program at George Brown College in Toronto. Gary has been a supporter of local farmers and organic agriculture for nearly three decades. He is a leading advocate for sustainable local agriculture and environmental responsibility. Gary has enjoyed a successful career as a Restaurateur, Chef, and General Manager in the food service industry, and now, as a Professor and Administrator, he mentors and coaches a new generation about food service and culinary management and the responsibilities that leadership entails for protecting and conserving the land and the health and well-being of society.

Zeenat Janmohamed, PhD.
Chair, School of Social and Community Services and Deaf and Deafblind Studies

Zeenat Janmohamed is the Chair of the School of Social and Community Services and Deaf and Deafblind Studies at George Brown College, having held faculty positions in School of Early Childhood, the Atkinson Centre at the University of Toronto, Ryerson University and the Eric Jackman Institute of Child Studies at the University of Toronto. Her most recent study investigates the impact of full day kindergarten and extended day programs on educators, families and school administration. Her other area of expertise examines the implementation of ideas related to diversity, equity and difference. Her research aims to examine how diversity is explored in training, policy and practice. Zeenat completed her PhD in the Department of Leadership, Higher and Adult Education at OISE, University of Toronto.

Monica McGlynn-Stewart
BA, DCS, M.Ed, PhD, RECE, OTC
Professor, School of Early Childhood Education

Monica is a former elementary teacher, high school principal, consultant for social service organizations, and instructor at Ryerson University. Monica teaches curriculum and research courses in the ECE diploma and ECL degree programs in the School of Early Childhood. Her research interests include teacher action research and professional development, student engagement, and literacy learning and teaching.

Przemyslaw Pawluk
Professor, School of Technology

Przemyslaw Pawluk is a professor in School of Technology at George Brown College teaching mobile, web and game development. Since 2011 he is also CTO and VP of Mobi-Learning Inc. providing consulting services. Przemyslaw enjoys mixing theory and practice. He has industry experience in building telecommunication, GIS, and banking systems. He leading several applied research projects at GBC and presented his work at various conferences. His research interests are applications of IT in education and cloud computing. Przemyslaw graduated from Wroclaw University of Technology and Blekinge Institute of Technology and holds Master of Science degree in Software Engineering.

Milan Shahani
Professor, Fashion Studies

Milan Shahani holds a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and Sociology from Bombay University. She also holds a Master in Fine Arts Degree specializing in Costume Design for Theatre, from the University of North Carolina’s School Of The Arts. Milan has worked as a Costume Designer for various theatre and film productions in Toronto, New York and India. She has taught designers, mentored students through industry commissioned projects and provided apprenticeships for graduates. She has been on the advisory committee of the Art Gallery of Ontario for their Maharaja Exhibit. Her applied research interests lie in designing garments for healthcare and particularly the differently able community. She is actively involved in bettering the life of stroke survivors. Milan joined the faculty of George Brown College in 1999 and has been teaching here ever since.

Amy Symington
BAH, MSc.
Professor/Chef, Center for Hospitality and Culinary Arts

Amy Symington, BAH, MSc. is a nutrition professor, research associate and chef at George Brown College (GBC), where she teaches nutrition and culinary courses, develops nutrition focused curricula and works on health based research projects. Amy has a M.Sc. in Applied Human Nutrition with a focus on functional food from Oxford Brookes University, UK. In addition to teaching, applied research and recipe development, Amy is also the nutrition and kitchen program coordinator at Gilda’s Club Greater Toronto where she runs a bi-weekly supper club program and provides nutrition workshops and culinary demonstrations to those touched by cancer.