Governance

As Canada’s engaged university, SFU works with communities, organizations, and partners to create, share, and embrace knowledge that improves life and generates real change. We deliver a world-class education with lifelong value that shapes change-makers, visionaries, and problem-solvers. We connect research and innovation to entrepreneurship and industry to deliver sustainable, relevant solutions to today’s problems. With campuses in British Columbia’s three largest cities—Vancouver, Burnaby, and Surrey—SFU has eight faculties that deliver 364 undergraduate degree programs and 149 graduate degree programs to more than 37,000 students. The university now boasts more than 180,000 alumni residing in 145+ countries.

Mr. Michael Harcourt served as a Vancouver alderman from 1973 to 1980. He was first elected as a member of The Electors’ Action Movement (TEAM). He was Mayor of Vancouver from 1980 to 1986. He was first elected to the British Columbia Legislature in the 1986 British Columbia provincial election. He became the leader of the British Columbia New Democratic Party (NDP) and the Leader of the Official Opposition in the following year. He was considered to be a moderate within the ranks of his social democratic party. In the 1991 provincial election, Harcourt led the NDP back to power, defeating the Social Credit party led by Rita Johnston. That marked the second time that the NDP had ever been in power in BC and the first since 1975.

AGE-WELL is Canada’s Technology and Aging Network. The pan-Canadian network brings together researchers, older adults, caregivers, partner organizations, and future leaders to accelerate the delivery of technology-based solutions that make a meaningful difference in the lives of Canadians. AGE-WELL researchers are producing technologies, services, policies, and practices that improve the quality of life for older adults and caregivers and generate social and economic benefits for Canada. AGE-WELL is funded through the federal Networks of Centres of Excellence program. Since December 2022, AGE-WELL has been a co-lead in the envisAGE initiative, which aims to catalyze Canada’s AgeTech ecosystem by helping companies deliver technology solutions that will change the lives of Canadians. envisAGE is funded through the Government of Canada’s Strategic Innovation Fund.

Dr. Arvind Gupta is Professor of Computer Science at the University of Toronto. He has served as President and Vice-Chancellor of the University of British Columbia, as the CEO and Scientific Director of Mitacs Inc., and as CEO of Palette Skills Inc. He has published extensively on theoretical computer science, computational genomics and national innovation strategies.

Arvind has a record of accomplishment for initiatives that improve Canada’s productivity and competitiveness by successfully enhancing workforce skills through industry-academic partnerships. As the founder of Mitacs, he achieved success in interweaving graduate education with socio-economic needs by bringing together 60 universities and over 1,000 civil society partners. Significant service includes acting as an Innovation leader for the Federal Innovation Agenda, serving on the Federal Government’s blue-ribbon innovation panel (Jenkins panel), serving on the national Science, Technology, and Innovation Council (STIC), and serving on the BC’s Food Security Task Force.

Eugene Fiume is Professor of Computing Science and Dean of the Faculty of Applied Sciences at Simon Fraser University.  He is past Chair of the Department of Computer Science and Professor Emeritus at the University of Toronto, where he was also the inaugural director of the successful Masters of Science in Applied Computing programme.  He is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada, a Eurographics Fellow, and a Member of the SIGGRAPH Academy. He was a co-winner of an NSERC Synergy Award in recognition of a long, productive partnership between the graphics lab at University of Toronto and Alias/Autodesk.

Eugene’s research blends science and art, focusing on realistic computational depictions of natural phenomena.  An area of recent focus has been facial animation, and he is the co-founder and Board Chair of the facial animation start-up, JALI Research.  He has authored numerous papers and books, and has held many board and advisory roles with national and global institutions.  As Dean at SFU, Eugene has facilitated the creation of a new school, several professional graduate programmes, a new building, a substantial re-fit of another building, the recruitment of 45 new faculty, a significant non-academic staff reorganization, and a refined budgetary model.  He is currently focused on improving diversity in the applied sciences, broadening and deepening the student experience, advancing research, expanding applied research and professional programmes, and strengthening industry partnerships.

Mr. Michael Harcourt served as a Vancouver alderman from 1973 to 1980. He was first elected as a member of The Electors’ Action Movement (TEAM). He was Mayor of Vancouver from 1980 to 1986. He was first elected to the British Columbia Legislature in the 1986 British Columbia provincial election. He became the leader of the British Columbia New Democratic Party (NDP) and the Leader of the Official Opposition in the following year.

He was considered to be a moderate within the ranks of his social democratic party. In the 1991 provincial election, Harcourt led the NDP back to power, defeating the Social Credit party led by Rita Johnston. That marked the second time that the NDP had ever been in power in BC and the first since 1975. A near-fatal accident in 2002 left him partially paralyzed. However, Michael found a strengthened resolve to contribute to the transformation of communities around the world through the principles of sustainability, particularly social inclusion. Michael has been very involved in spinal cord research and education through the Rick Hansen Man in Motion Foundation and International Collaboration on Repair Discoveries (I-CORD).

Dr. Sylvain Moreno is a neuroscientist, a global innovation leader and a tech entrepreneur. He is a neurotechnology professor at Simon Fraser University. He has collaborated in numerous studies investigating how the brain can be modified by its environment and the technology, with particular emphasis on how interactive digital technologies can impact communities such as children and senior population. In 2016, Dr. Moreno founded British Columbia AGE-WELL National Innovation Hub: Circle Innovation, a non-profit facilitator of digital healthcare solutions in Vancouver, of which he is CEO and Scientific Director. Circle supports technology co-creation using a collaborative community model called Circle Innovation created by Moreno.

Dr. Moreno is also a special advisor in Innovation to the Vice-President Office at Simon Fraser University. His work has been covered by The Globe and Mail and The Wall Street Journal. Over the last decade, he has authored several scientific publications and patents, making an impact in educational and clinical environments. Dr. Moreno has worked in academia since 2003 and held positions with the University of Toronto, York University, Simon Fraser University and Université d’Aix-Marseille. He was the chairman of Brain Power Initiative between 2011 and 2014 and he has been a member of the New York Academy of Science since 2006. From 2019 to 2020, Dr. Moreno has led, as scientific director, the Agtech Innovation Sandbox (AGIS) to support and develop the agtech sector in British Columbia.

Dr. Thecla Schiphorst is the director of Interactive Arts and Technology at Simon Fraser University. Her background in technology and computing forms the basis for her work in embodied interaction, focusing on movement knowledge representation and wearable technologies. She has founded and led several international projects on human-computer interaction. Dr. Schiphorst focuses on communications at Circle Innovation.

Roger Flowerdew has provided interim and full-time executive level services to life science, information technology, specialty manufacturing (extraction, isolation, and purification of high value compounds for bio-tech clients) companies in Canada, the United States, and the United Kingdom since 1986. Roger’s areas of expertise are strategic and tactical planning, tactical implementation, business development, and corporate finance.

He has also served as a director and board chairman (Northern Lipids Inc. & Chromos Molecular Systems Inc.), CEO (Cognetix Inc.), COO, VP – Business Development, Managing Director – European Operations and/or CFO/Director Finance (Incisive Genetics Inc.) of various listed public and unlisted companies and not-for-profit organizations (Pacific Salmon Foundation, Pacific Salmon Endowment Fund Society, Vancouver Opera Association, Vancouver Opera Foundation). He obtained his Bachelor of Arts (Political Science) from Simon Fraser University in May 1980 and his Chartered Accountant designation with Thorne Riddell (now KPMG Canada) in December, 1982.

Dr. Carolyn Sparrey’s research focuses on biomechanics and biomaterials. She leads SFU’s Neurospine Lab, which works closely with surgeons at Surrey Memorial Hospital. Dr. Sparrey is also the lead investigator on a research initiative funded by SFU’s Community Trust Endowment Fund to create point-of-care enabled technologies for preventative health. Dr. Sparrey earned her PhD in Mechanical Engineering from the University of California in 2008, her master’s in mechanical engineering from UBC in 2004 and she has a Bachelor of Science from the University of Waterloo.

A graduate of Princeton and McGill, Scott Dunlop initially practiced at Farris and moved to Davis (now DLA Piper) and helped it expand to one of Canada’s top national firms. He is a business lawyer with extensive legal expertise relevant to the management of enterprises, including director, executive, and shareholder issues. While at Davis/DLA Piper, he served as Chair of the Employment and Labour Group and as Chair of the Government Affairs Group. Scott has acted for many of British Columbia’s major corporations and led a national lawyer team acting for Harmon International’s acquisition of QNX Software Systems.

He is an expert in administrative law, executive employment, shareholder remedies and commercial disputes. Scott attended Harvard Law School Lawyer Programs in Advanced Negotiation and Mediation and returned as an instructor at a mediation course. During the last two decades, he has been acting primarily as a strategic general counsel, managing corporate and litigation matters for venture and growth businesses.