Appointment of Ms. Sandra Crocker to Assistant Vice-Principal (Research Operations)

Sent of behalf of: Denis Thérien, Vice-Principal (Research and International Relations)

I am delighted to announce the appointment of Ms. Sandra Crocker to the newly created position of Assistant Vice-Principal (Research Operations), effective November 1, 2007.

The Assistant Vice-Principal (Research Operations) will report to the Vice-Principal (Research and International Relations) and will be part of the senior management group responsible for planning, developing and implementing a comprehensive research strategy for McGill and its affiliated hospital network. In the context of this strategy, Ms. Crocker will meet the challenge of overseeing and delivering the best, most efficient and most supportive services to the McGill research community, as well as for identifying and taking advantage of research funding opportunities and for representing the University on various internal and external committees and boards in the research field. She will also assume responsibility for ensuring sound administrative and financial management of grants, contracts and agreements, for supporting researchers in contract negotiations and for maximizing research performance.

Ms. Crocker has a most distinguished and accomplished career in research administration, most recently holding positions at Queen's University — as Associate Vice-Principal (Research) in the Office of the Vice-Principal Research, where she was responsible for promoting multi-faceted research initiatives involving cross-disciplinary teams of researchers and external industrial and community partners — and previously as Director of the Office of Research Services. She has earned the respect and admiration of the Canadian research administration community for her dynamic leadership as President of the Canadian Association of University Research Administrators (CAURA). Ms. Crocker is a member of the International Society for Research Administration, the editorial review board for the Journal of Research Administration, and sits on the boards of the Biocap Canada Charitable Foundation Inc., Insect Biotec Canada Inc., the Kingston Technology Council and the Ontario Centre for Communications and Information Technology.

I invite you to join me in extending a warm welcome to Ms. Crocker as a new member of the McGill community, and in wishing her much success in her new position.