Office of the Vice-President (Research and International)

Dr. Pinto has received awards in recognition of his research and professional contributions from the South Asian Drishti Media Group, the International Think Tank on the future of Glycoscience (Germany), the BC Innovation Council, Simon Fraser University Faculty of Science, the Canadian Society for Chemistry, the Chemical Institute of Canada (CIC) Merck Frosst Centre for Therapeutic Research, the American Chemical Society Carbohydrate Chemistry Division, and the Canadian National Committee for the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry. He was also the recipient of the 2014 CIC Montréal Medal for outstanding contributions to the profession of chemistry and chemical engineering in Canada, and the 2000 Apotex Lecturer Award. In 2003 he was inducted as a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada, and in 2018 he received a Lifetime Achievement Award of the Sri Lanka Foundation.

Dr. Pinto championed the proposal for a Centre of Excellence in Neurorehabilitation, with technologies for spinal injury repair, peripheral nerve damage and neurovascular intervention through biomedical engineering/robotic technologies and drug and cell therapy, a proposal for a Centre for Image-Guided Surgery Technologies, and the model for creation of soft-landing pads for recruitment of international companies to the Precinct (Australia). He served as a member of the Innovation Places Stakeholder Reference Group, for the Queensland Department of Tourism, Innovation and Sport that culminated in A Place to Innovate - Queensland Innovation Precincts and Places Strategy 2022-2032. He also previously served as Chair of the Gold Coast Health & Knowledge Precinct Strategic Advisory Group (Australia) 2020-21, Co-chair of the Canada-India Joint Science and Technology Cooperation Committee 2017-18, Chair of the Global Research Council 2017-18, Vice-Chair of the Chemical Institute of Canada 2014-15, President of the Canadian Society for Chemistry (CSC) 2010-11, Vice-President of CSC 2009-10, President of the International Carbohydrate Organization 2006-08, Chair and Organizer of the International Carbohydrate Symposium (Whistler, BC) 2006; President of the Simon Fraser Univentures Corporation 2004-14, and was Founder and Chief Scientific Officer of Mimos Therapeutics Inc. 2004-09.

Dr. Wieden— who has been appointed as Associate Vice-President (Partnerships, Knowledge Mobilization, and Innovation) for the period of May 1st, 2023 to April 30, 2028— is a Professor in the Department of Microbiology at the University of Manitoba. He began his Canadian career in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry at the University of Lethbridge in 2000 and left his position as Professor in 2021 to join the University of Manitoba. Dr. Wieden serves as the Lead for Biosciences Entrepreneurship and Industry Partnerships (2021-present) in the Faculty of Science and as President of the Canadian Society for Molecular Bioscience (2022-2024). Dr. Wieden has also been active as a member of the Nuclear Threat Initiative (NTI) funded by the Open Philanthropy and Melinda Gates Foundation and is a founding member of RNA Canada/Canadian Consortium for RNA Research. Dr. Wieden has developed a free access collection on the topic of Dual Use Research in the Life Sciences that deals with such topics as Synthetic Biology, next—generation sequencing, and personal genomics.
 
As an example of Dr. Wieden’s innovative spirit, he has worked with the Lethbridge Emergency Medical Service (LEMS) to address and solve community-identified policy and regulatory concerns about the cleaning of the EMS vehicles based on identification of the microbiome present on the vehicles. He has also developed a program on Industry-partnered research challenges (deep Yellow) that fosters industry-research interactions, based on an initial NSERC-CREATE grant. In this program, teams of graduate students and industrial representatives work to solve an industrial challenge, attesting to Dr. Wieden’s ability to forge university-industry liaisons.
 
Dr. Wieden publishes widely, and his contributions are highly regarded. He has 2742 citations of his work, and he has an h-index of 24. He has secured $10,568,860 in external funding and $1,336,500 in internal funding, and has received several awards, including a Canada Research Chair (Tier 2) from 2005-2010. He has supervisory experience of Graduate students and Postdoctoral fellows and is familiar with navigating the research landscape. 
 
Dr. Wieden brings a maturity with respect to equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI), mental health and wellbeing of students and staff, accommodation of students who are themselves parents, and his sensitivity to dealing with Indigenous Peoples. He has participated in efforts to Indigenize the University of Lethbridge curriculum and signaled that one of his first items of business would be to Indigenize Smart Park at the University of Manitoba.
 
Dr. Wieden is committed to fostering collaboration between university researchers and external partners and to establishing self-sustaining initiatives. He would like to “move the needle” on the reputation of the University of Manitoba.

Oversight of:

• IdeaStart
• Partnerships, Knowledge Mobilization, and Innovation Office
• Lab2Market
• Research Security Office
• Research Contracts Office
• MITACS
• S.E.T Day
• Undergraduate Research Showcase

Dr. Annemieke Farenhorst is the Associate Vice-President (Research) and the Director of Research Ethics and Compliance at the University of Manitoba. Farenhorst joined the University of Manitoba in 1997. She is a Full Professor of Soil Science and a Registered Professional Agrologist. Before assuming the position of Associate Vice-President (Research) in 2021, Farenhorst was the Associate Dean Research in the Faculty of Agricultural and Food Sciences from 2018-2021. Farenhorst was born in the Netherlands and holds a Doctorandus degree in Physical Geography and Soil Science from the University of Amsterdam. Farenhorst earned a Doctoral degree in Geography from the University of Toronto in 1998.

Farenhorst holds active grants from NSERC, CIHR and SSHRC and has supervised more than one-hundred natural and social science research trainees. Her research program includes fundamental studies as they apply to better understanding the fate of organic chemicals in water and soil, with practical applications focused on enhancing sustainable agricultural practices. Farenhorst also has ongoing collaborations with First Nations, particularly focused on drinking water at the household level. In addition, Farenhorst is part of an international collaborative network that examines factors influencing the advancement of women in science, technology and engineering professions. 

Farenhorst is the elected Secretary of Division VI (Chemistry and the Environment) of the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry, and an Associate Editor for ACS Agricultural Science and Technology. Farenhorst is on the Board of Directors of Genome Prairie (2021-2024), and Verna J Kirkness Education Foundation (2020-2023). Farenhorst was the Prairie NSERC Chair for Women in Science and Engineering from 2011-20, and her program engaged thousands of individuals across Canada, including youth in elementary and high schools, university students, and public and private sector employees. She directed the NSERC CREATE H2O program for First Nations Water and Sanitation Security from 2013-19. From 2005-14, she also directed a large network to advance food security for small-scale farmers in Costa Rica, Honduras and Nicaragua. 

Farenhorst has been recognized for her professional contributions through a range of awards including the 2016 Women’s Executive Network Canada’s Most Powerful Women: Top 100 Award Winner in the Sun Life Financial Trailblazers & Trendsetters category; 2015 Ms. and Mrs. Ralph Campbell Award for Meritorious Service in University Outreach; 2012 Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal for leadership in pesticide research and community involvement; 2010 University of Manitoba Merit Award for Outreach; 2006 University of Manitoba Merit Award for Research; 2005 University of Manitoba Outstanding Teacher Award; 2003 University of Manitoba Merit Award for Research and Teaching; 2003 The Rh Institute Award for Outstanding Contributions to Interdisciplinary Scholarship and Research; and 2001 Faculty of Agricultural and Food Sciences Diploma I Teacher of the Year.

Oversight of:

• Research Ethics & Compliance Office
• Grants & Research Operations
• Canadian Foundation for Innovation
• Canada Research Chairs
• Genome Canada
• Networks of Centres of Excellence of Canada
• Undergraduate Research Awards