Reappointment of Professor Paul Young as Vice-President - Research

Memorandum to:    Governing Council

                  Academic Board

                  Business Board

                  University Affairs Board

                  Principals, Deans, Academic Directors and Chairs

                  Professionals, Managers and Confidential Staff

                  President of UTFA

                  Presidents of Employee Unions

                  Presidents of APUS, GSU, SAC/UTSU, SCSU and UTMSU

From:             David Naylor

                  President

Date:             May 17, 2012

Re:               Reappointment of Professor Paul Young as Vice-President - Research

     

I am very pleased to announce that at its meeting today, the Governing Council approved the reappointment of Professor Paul Young as Vice-President - Research for a three-year term, effective July 1, 2012 and continuing until June 30, 2015.

First appointed in 2007, Professor Young led a major University-wide planning effort that resulted in the University's strategic research plan - Excellence, Innovation, Leadership: The University of Toronto Strategic Research Plan, 2012-2017.  Over his career, Professor Young's leadership has been distinguished by collaboration and consensus-building.  The process that resulted in the plan is no exception.

Early in his term, Professor Young undertook major change in the Research portfolio with the goal of strengthening services to faculty in support of their research and establishing mechanisms that would optimize the University's success in large-scale competitions such as those sponsored by the Canada Foundation for Innovation. He also created a new portfolio focused on meeting the many oversight and compliance requirements now confronting the University and all those within it who do externally-funded research.  Professor Young has been an unrelenting and passionate advocate for the University's research and has worked tirelessly to communicate the success of our faculty and students both within the University community and beyond.  During his time in office, he has also focused - successfully - on increasing the number of national and international awards granted to our distinguished faculty. Last, Professor Young has taken steps to renew the University's knowledge translation and technology transfer activities through the formation of the Innovation and Partnerships Office.  

Prior to assuming the role of Vice-President - Research, Professor Young was Chair of the Department of Civil Engineering in Faculty of Applied Sciences and Engineering --  a position he held for three years, along with his appointment as the Keck Chair of Seismology and Rock Mechanics.  He was also the first Director of the Lassonde Institute for Engineering Geoscience.  Prior to joining the University in 2002, Professor Young held a faculty position at Queen's University in Kingston for nine years before he returned to the UK for an appointment at Keele University.  There, he served as a Department Head before becoming Chair of Earth Sciences at Liverpool University.  A distinguished scientist, Professor Young is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada and in 2009 won the Willet G. Miller Medal of the Society for his contributions to earth sciences. 

Please join me in congratulating Professor Young on his reappointment and thanking him for his continued service to the University.