Applied Research Day 2018 | Event Overview

This year we celebrated 11 years of applied research at George Brown College. Applied Research Day featured panelists, student awards, industry innovation and the Galaxy of Research.

Follow #gbcgalaxy and join the conversation.

Anne Sado
President, George Brown College

A native of Toronto, Anne Sado has been President of George Brown College since 2004. Her impact on the vision, direction and culture of the college has resulted in significant growth at George Brown, and has activated a critical public discussion on the value of college education in Ontario’s economic development.

Dawn Davidson
Associate Vice President, Research and Innovation 

Dawn Davidson is the Associate Vice President, Research and Innovation at George Brown College. In this position, she leads the College’s applied research and innovation activities and is accountable for the overall leadership of applied research at GBC, including growing research capacity within the College and attracting external partnerships and financial investment to the College.

Dr. Rick Huijbregts
Vice-President, Strategy & Innovation

As Vice-President, Strategy & Innovation, Dr. Rick Huijbregts oversees strategic planning and partnership development to ensure George Brown College remains well positioned to evolve and adapt for the digital and rapidly changing future. He strives to advance community and industry innovation while providing students with relevant and hands-on learning opportunities through applied research and entrepreneurship.

Ian Wigglesworth
Dean, Centre for Preparatory & Liberal Studies

Ian Wigglesworth joined George Brown College in 2010 as Chair of the School of English as a Second Language (ESL) and in 2018 was appointed Dean, Centre for Preparatory & Liberal Studies. He oversaw the planning and relocation of the School of ESL to 341 King St. E. He spearheaded the creation of the post-secondary English for Academic Purposes program and led 15 colleges in the creation of an EAP articulation agreement.

Lorraine Trotter
Dean, Centre for Hospitality & Culinary Arts

With 14 years of college experience and over 20 years in the private sector, Lorraine is a senior executive skilled in leading new initiatives in organizations experiencing significant change. She oversaw the creation of new programs, facilities and partnerships across Canada and around the world as part of an expanded vision for the centre.

Lori Cranson
Dean (Interim), Centres for Community Services & Early Childhood, and Health Sciences

Lori Cranson is Interim Dean at the Centres for Community Services & Early Childhood, and Health Sciences. She took over the role in December 2017 with a focus on pursuing innovative approaches to engage learners using digitization, simulation and student success strategies.

Donna Lee Rosen
Professor, George Brown College, School of Hospitality and Tourism Management

Donna founded MaJic Communications in 2006, where she has been involved in research on climate change for Enbridge Oil and Gas, creating and developing marketing programs and strategies to include branding and rebranding of several corporations. A company subsidiary, MaJic in Motion, is dedicated to the promotion of increased awareness and socially responsible tourism options for the conscientious, savvy traveller.

Jon Callegher
Program Coordinator, School of Marketing

Dr. Jon Callegher is a professor in the School of Marketing at George Brown College, where he is Program Coordinator of two highly popular postgraduate certificate programs: Sport & Event Marketing and Strategic Relationship Marketing. He is also the author of Pearson Canada’s next Marketing Research textbook, Marketing Research for Marketers (2018).

Krista Holmes
Director, Research and Innovation

Krista comes to George Brown College from Humber College where she was the Associate Dean of Applied Research and Innovation. She has fifteen years of experience working in the postsecondary education sector in a diverse range of positions including administrator, faculty member, support staff, and consultant.

Neal Lilliott
Manager, startGBC

Neal Lilliott has over 15 years’ experience working within the technology, engineering and digital space having previously worked for the British Government’s trade and investment service, where he worked with Canadian aerospace, engineering, financial services and technology companies on their investment and academic collaboration plans.

Michael Cullen
Co-Founder, Design Engineer, Novalte

Michael’s specialty is in providing the technology and tools to individuals with physical disabilities with his experience in the fields of Assistive Technology and Electronic Engineering. He has been able to provide this support at two centre’s here in the Toronto Area, West Park Healthcare Centre and Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital.

Ben Hawken
Vice President, Mattamy Homes

Ben is responsible for national oversight of the architectural function at Mattamy Homes. In previous positions he has held leadership positions responsible for facilitating the delivery of high quality Architectural Designs, Marketing Material content, Working Drawings, Sustainability Innovation programs and Architectural support.

Hosni Zaouali
CEO and Co-Founder, Voila Learning

Hosni is an experienced Strategy Director with a demonstrated history of working in the education management industry. He is skilled in both Artificial Intelligence and  Virtual Reality in regards to its application to Intercultural Communication and Foreign Languages.

Patricia Di Chiara
Founder and CEO at Luisella Foods Inc.

Patricia is the Founder and CEO of Luisella Foods, focusing on all natural and delicious chocolate spreads that are nut free, school safe, made with real chocolate and are gluten free.

Andrew Sinclair
Manager, Ontario Regional Office, NSERC

The Ontario Regional Office of NSERC has a mandate to facilitate and support industry-academic research partnerships, connector events, and student placements in industry across Ontario; delivered through Experience, Connect and Engage programs.

Rebecca Tran
Business Development Manager, OCE

OCE’s mission is to accelerate innovation through game-changing research leading to successful commercialization and vibrant collaboration between industry and academia, launching the next generation of product and jobs.

Alison Ewart
Vice-President, Programs, Mitacs

Alison has worked for Mitacs for the last 10 years, ever since Mitacs expanded operations into Ontario, actively building and promoting programs to the research community. In her current role she is responsible for overseeing the entire suite of Mitacs programs, both domestically and internationally. Prior to joining Mitacs she was an active scientific researcher and holds degrees from both Queen’s University and the University of British Columbia.

Jaime McIntyre
Faculty, Mechanical Engineering, GBC

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.

Nakhshab Ashrafpoor
Professor and Coordinator, GBC

Nakhshab is a member of both the Ontario Association of Architects (OAA) and the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada (MRAIC). Her research involves the adoption of BIM tools for conflict resolution between MEP subcontractors, and aligning contractual interests for contractor’s coordination team to meet overall project schedules.

Ana Rita Morais
Acting Chair, School of Design, GBC

Ana Rita provides academic and administrative leadership, supervision and direction to faculty, staff and students at the School of Design. She is also responsible for the planning, development, delivery and review of all ten programs and services within the School of Design, ensuring that programs are aligned to meet student and industry needs.

Marilyn McNeil-Morin
Director, Fashion Exchange, GBC

As Chair School of George Brown College Fashion Studies, Marilyn was instrumental to guide the vision for Fashion Exchange (FX) and worked with industry partners, faculty, college departments and the community to open FX. Presently seconded as Director Fashion Exchange, Marilyn continues to integrate her academic background with many years of professional experience in business, post-secondary education and design.

Tricia Ryan
Director, FIRSt

Tricia Ryan has 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. Tricia’s previous clients include companies such as Dare Foods, Frito Lay Canada, General Mills, H.J. Heinz, Kraft General Foods, Maple Leaf Foods, Nestle, Pepsi Canada and many others.

Amanda Li
Registered Dietitian, Owner of Wellness Simplified, Nutrition Instructor at CHCA

Amanda Li is a Toronto-based Registered Dietitian. She brings together her dietetic experience to create a nutrition coaching philosophy that is food-centric and grounded in teaching individuals a basic life skill. Her aim is to encourage, educate, and equip individuals with the hands-on food skills to make healthy eating the easier choice!

Zeenat Janmohamed
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 area of expertise examines the implementation of ideas related to diversity, equity and difference.

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. Przemyslaw enjoys mixing theory and practice, and has industry experience in building telecommunication, GIS, and banking systems. His research interests are applications of IT in education and cloud computing.