CANARIE Announces Board Changes

[Ottawa, ON]

CANARIE, a vital component of Canada’s digital infrastructure supporting research, education and innovation, today announced changes to its 2016/2017 Board of Directors.

Departing CANARIE Board members are Kim Devooght, Dr. Michael Geist, and former Board Chair Dr. Howard Brunt. These members brought tremendous energy, insight and commitment to the Board, and CANARIE is grateful for their contributions to the organization’s ongoing evolution.

One new Board member was elected at the CANARIE Annual General Meeting held on September 15, 2016: Dr. David Castle, Vice President, Research at the University of Victoria and Professor in the School of Public Administration with an adjunct appointment in the Gustavson School of Business. The election of Dr. Castle completed the planned reduction in the size of the CANARIE Board from sixteen to fourteen members.

In addition to his role as a senior administrator, Dr. Castle’s research focuses on social aspects of life science innovation including democratic engagement, regulation and governance, and intellectual property and knowledge management. He has published extensively on the social dimensions of science, technology and innovation, has held several major research awards, and has considerable experience leading strategic research initiatives and research project management. Dr. Castle is also Chair of the Steering Committee of Research Data Canada, a stakeholder-driven organization dedicated to improving the management of research data in Canada, funded by CANARIE.

“I look forward to working with the Board to continue to evolve Canada’s digital research infrastructure,” says Dr. Castle. “As a researcher and administrator who has witnessed the extraordinary transformation of research as a result of digitization, I know how critical digital research infrastructure is in enabling world-class science and discovery.”

“We are fortunate to have such a deep pool of expertise bringing a broad range of perspectives to the CANARIE Board, and I welcome Dr. Castle as we continue to shepherd the strategic evolution of a key component of Canada’s digital research infrastructure,” says Dr. Catherine Middleton, Chair of the Board of Directors. “I also extend the deepest appreciation of CANARIE and the Board to Dr. Brunt, Mr. Devooght and Dr. Geist for their dedicated service and valuable insights over their twenty combined years of service.”

CANARIE’s Board is comprised of an equal number of individuals from industry and academia. Directors bring a variety of skills and experience to the Board, and their backgrounds in the academic, institutional, private and public sectors ensure CANARIE’s programs and services anticipate and effectively address the evolving needs of its stakeholder communities. Directors are elected for one-year renewable terms, and all Directors serve on at least one standing committee of the Board.

More information on CANARIE’s Board of Directors may be found here.

For more information, please contact:

Ela Ienzi
Communications Manager
CANARIE Inc.cafident
(613) 943-5432
ela.ienzi@canarie.ca

About CANARIE

CANARIE strengthens Canadian leadership in science and technology by delivering digital infrastructure to support world-class research that directly benefits all Canadians.

Twelve provincial and territorial network partners, together with CANARIE, collectively form Canada’s National Research and Education Network (NREN). Canadians at universities, colleges, research institutes, hospitals, and government laboratories rely on this ultra high-speed network to collaborate in data-intensive, cutting-edge research and innovation within Canada and with colleagues in over 100 countries.

Beyond the network, CANARIE funds and promotes reusable research software tools to accelerate scientific discovery. CANARIE also supports Research Data Canada as it leads national research data management initiatives, and through the Canadian Access Federation, provides identity management services that enable secure, ubiquitous connectivity and content access to the academic community. To boost commercialization in Canada’s technology sector, CANARIE offers cloud resources to startups through its DAIR service, and links a powerful community of public and private sector partners in the Centre of Excellence in Next Generation Networks (CENGN).

Established in 1993, CANARIE is a non-profit corporation, with the majority of its funding provided by the Government of Canada.