Ocean Frontier Institute
About OFI
Ocean School
Coastal Communities and the Ocean
The North Atlantic as a Climate Ocean
Atmosphere-Ocean Interactions
Ocean Data & Technology
Shifting Ecosystems
Seed Fund Success Stories
OFI was established in September 2016 thanks to an investment of $227 million from the Government of Canada and various private and public-sector organizations. OFI is led by Dalhousie University, Memorial University of Newfoundland, and the University of Prince Edward Island, and includes partners in North America and Europe.
OFI operations are shared between Dalhousie University and Memorial University of Newfoundland. OFI reports to the Vice-President Research & Innovation at Dalhousie, and the Vice-President Research at Memorial.
OFI Organizational Structure
OFI Committee Governance
OFI committees ensure the decisions made — and resources used — are aligned with public interest and that OFI funding which is contributed by government, industry and institutional partners, is prudently used to establish a world-leading, and collaborative, research institution.
This group stewards OFI on behalf of Dalhousie University, Memorial University of Newfoundland and the University of Prince Edward Island. Members of the Executive Council provide institutional oversight, financial accountability and direction to the scientific and management affairs of OFI.
The Chair of the Executive Council is Alice Aiken, Vice President of Research & Implementation, Dalhousie University.
Travis Fridgen, Memorial University of Newfoundland, Acting Dean of Science
Glenn Blackwood, Memorial University, Vice-President, Marine Institute
Neil Bose, Memorial University of Newfoundland, Vice-President (Research)
Chris Moore, Dalhousie University, Dean, Faculty of Science
Gitta Kulczycki, Dalhousie University, Vice President, Finance & Administration
John Newhook, Dalhousie University, Dean of Engineering
Paul Snelgrove, OFI Associate Scientific Director
Kim Thomson, OFI Chief Administrative Officer
Anya Waite, OFI Scientific Director & Dalhousie University Associate Vice-President Research (Ocean)
Catherine Blewett, OFI Chief Strategic Engagement Officer
This team of people ensures OFI, and the projects and programs it undertakes, are managed in accordance with Canada First Research Excellence Fund guidelines.
Jonathan Fisher, Research Scientist, Marine Institute at Memorial University of Newfoundland
Rabin Bissessur, Dean (interim), UPEI Faculty of Graduate Studies & Research
Nancy Hayter, Dalhousie University, Executive Director, Research Services
Julie Rideout, OFI Manager of Operations
Anya Waite, OFI Scientific Director & CEO, Dalhousie University Associate Vice-President Research (Ocean)
This committee provides general oversight to the planning and coordination of research projects, including the allocation of research funding.
The chair is Anya Waite, OFI Scientific Director and CEO, Dalhousie University Associate Vice-President Research (Ocean)
The co-chair is Paul Snelgrove, OFI Associate Scientific Director, Memorial University
Stefanie Colombo, Applied Science, Dalhousie
Ian Stewart, Humanities, Dalhousie
Kelly Hawboldt, Engineering, MUN
Ratana Chuenpagdee, Social Science, MUN
Mark Fast, Natural Science, UPEI
Daniel Ruzzante, Natural Science, Dalhousie
Ian Fleming, Natural Science, MUN
Brad de Young, Natural Science, MUN
Melanie Zurba, Social Science, Dalhousie
Ali Nasiri, Engineering, Dalhousie
Excellence, Impact and Engagement Committee
The Excellence, Impact and Engagement Committee (EIEC) provides guidance on OFI's research focus, reviews annual progress reports and funding allocation, project development and strategic direction. The EIEC also ensures mechanisms are in place to exceed expectations for mid-term funding renewal.
The chair is Geoff Munro, Owner, Trestle Networks Inc.
Mark Abbott, President of Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI)
Heide Hackmann, Executive Director, the International Council for Science (ICSU)
Nancy Hamzawi, Assistant Deputy Minister, Science and Technology at Environment and Climate Change Canada
Melanie Nadeau, Chief Executive Officer, COVE
Marlies Rise, Director, Strategic Institutional Research Initiatives, Memorial University of Newfoundland
Karin Lochte, Director, Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre
Arran McPherson, Assistant Deputy Minister, Ecosystems and Oceans Science, Fisheries and Oceans Canada
Kathy Sullivan, Senior Fellow, Potomac Institute and Ambassador at Large, Smithsonian National Air & Space Museum
Paul Snelgrove, OFI Associate Scientific Director, Memorial University
Kendra MacDonald, CEO, Canada's Ocean Supercluster
Greg Johnson, President, RBR Ltd.
Advises the Management Committee on scientific excellence, strategic focus and alignment of research projects with the mission, goals and deliverables with the Canada First Research Excellence Fund.
The chair is Jake Rice, former Chief Scientist for the Department of Fisheries and Oceans:
Malcolm Beveridge, Head of aquaculture, UN's Food and Agriculture Organization, Rome
Frank Glöckner, Head of Microbial Genomics and Bioinformatics Research Group at the Max Planck Institute for Marine Microbiology
Eileen Hofmann, Professor of Oceanography at Old Dominion University
Bonnie McCay-Merritt, Distinguished Service Professor, Emerita, at Rutgers University
Katherine Richardson, Professor, Biological Oceanography and Vice Dean of Science at the University of Copenhagen
Oscar Schofield, Professor, Biological Oceanography at Rutgers University
Lawson Brigham, Distinguished Professor of Geography & Arctic Policy, University of Alaska Fairbanks & Senior Fellow at the Institute of North in Anchorage
Anya Waite, OFI Scientific Director & CEO
Learn more about the International Scientific Advisory committee by reading their biographies.
Innovation and Commercialization Committee
This Committee is responsible for advising on progress towards meeting annual, mid-term and seven-year targets set for innovation and commercialization, and for promoting, developing and facilitating commercialization arising from OFI's proposed innovation deliverables.
Bruce Batstone, Industry Partnership Manager, OFI
Carey Bonnell, Vice President of Sustainability, Ocean Choice
Amy Brookman, Director of Product Management, Vemco
Stephen Hartlen, Assistant Vice President (Industry Relations) & Executive Director, Industry Liason & Innovation, Dalhousie University
Kevin Dunn, Director, Industry Liason & Innovation, Dalhousie University
Calvin Gosse, Atlantic Public Sector Client Executive, IBM
Susan Hunt, Chief Technology Officer, Ocean Supercluster
Paula Mendonca, Technology Transfer & Commercialization Office, Memorial University of Newfoundland
Justin Moores, Synapse Applied Research & Industry Services, UPEI
Andrew Swanson, Vice President Research & Development, Cooke Aquaculture
Kim Thomson, Chief Administrative Officer, OFI
Ron Irwin, Collaboration Manager, OFI
Anya Waite, Scientific Director & CEO, OFI & Associate Vice-President Research (Ocean), Dalhousie University
Paul Snelgrove, Associate Scientific Director, OFI
Vincent Sieben, Associate Professor, Electrical & Computer Engineering, Dalhousie University
Jennifer LaPlante, Executive Director, DeepSense
Data Management Committee
The OFI Data Management Committee acts in an advisory role to the OFI Scientific Directorate. The Committee reports to the OFI Management Committee and is responsible for developing, overseeing, and supporting researchers in the implementation of data management policy and guidelines that direct and inform all OFI researchers in the management of all data collected through OFI sponsored research.
The Chair of the Data Management Committee is Mike Smit, Assoc. Professor, School of Information Management, Dalhousie University.
Tony Charles, Professor, Saint Mary's University
Fraser Davidson, Research Scientist, Fisheries and Oceans Canada
Richard Davis, RIU Manager, Ocean Frontier Institute
Alison Farrell, Public Services and Research Data Management Librarian, Memorial University of Newfoundland
Shayla Fitzsimmons, Director, Canadian Integrated Ocean Observing System-Atlantic
Erin MacPherson, Research Data Management Librarian, Dalhousie University
Kim Mears, Health Sciences and Scholarly Communications Librarian, University of Prince Edward Island
Kate Patterson, Data Team Manager, Ocean Frontier Institute
Jon Pye, Assistant Director of Data Management, Ocean Tracking Network
Ines Hessler, Chief Technology Officer, ACENET
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