Steven Liss reappointed vice-president, research and innovation
Steven Liss has led unprecedented growth of scholarly, research and creative activity at the university.
I am pleased to announce the reappointment of Steven Liss as Ryerson University’s vice-president, research and innovation (VPRI) for a five-year term from March 31, 2022 to March 31, 2027.
The VPRI reports to the president and is a key member of Ryerson’s senior leadership team, providing strategic leadership and support for the people, programs and platforms engaged in scholarly, research and creative activity (SRC) at the university.
Steven has been VPRI since 2017, and has led unprecedented growth and reputational positioning of the SRC enterprise. He has demonstrated a deep commitment to equity, diversity and inclusion principles in every aspect of his role, and his leadership is marked by passion, focus, discipline and the building of excellent teams.
Under Steven’s direction and working collaboratively with the Ryerson community, the University’s Strategic Research Plan (SRP) was developed, identifying the key research themes at the university, reflecting the diverse SRC activity taking place across Ryerson, with strategic objectives. The SRP provides a framework for a multi-year effort to build the university’s capacity for scaling the SRC enterprise through key areas of institutional strength, excellence, impact, collaborations and partnerships. The Health Strategy component of the plan provided a strong narrative for the case to the provincial government to support the planning process, currently underway, for a new school of medicine at Ryerson. Steven chairs the University Planning Committee to establish the new school.
With Steven’s leadership, annual research and contract revenues have grown substantially: 63 per cent in 2018-9 and a projected 31 per cent for 2019-20. This has included significant increases in funding from all three Canadian funding agencies (NSERC, SSHRC and CIHR) and international funding. In the most recent survey, Ryerson ranked second for corporate research income growth and fourth for cross-sectoral collaboration among comprehensive universities.
Through the Office of the VPRI a number of initiatives have advanced the university’s national and international leadership in key areas of city building and urban innovation, future skills and future of work, immigration and settlement and cybersecurity. Among these, Steven led Ryerson’s winning proposal to establish and lead the Future Skills Centre. He has also led the establishment of a new national centre for cybersecurity, Rogers CyberSecure Catalyst, which raised $30 million in its first nine months from founding partners and government.
An internationally recognized researcher in the area of environmental biotechnology and water and wastewater microbiology, Steven earned his master’s and PhD in applied microbiology and food science from the University of Saskatchewan, and his bachelor’s in microbiology and immunology from Western.
He joined Ryerson from Queen’s University in 2017, where he was vice-principal, research. The move marked his return to the university, where he had previously been a member of the Department of Chemistry and Biology and associate dean for the then Faculty of Engineering, Architecture and Science (research, development and science programs.) Prior to Queen’s, Steven was associate vice-president, research at the University of Guelph.
Please join with me in congratulating Steven on his reappointment.
I wish to thank the members of the review committee, whose names are listed below, for their work and willingness to serve.
Mohamed Lachemi
President and Vice-Chancellor
Members of the search committee
Patrizia Albanese
Associate Dean, Research and Graduate Studies
Faculty of Arts
Natalie Alvarez
Professor, Performance
Art Blake
Professor, History
Habiba Bougherara
Professor, Mechanical and Industrial Engineering
Sari Graben
Associate Dean, Academic, Research and Graduate Studies
Lincoln Alexander School of Law
Aziz Guergachi
Professor, Information Technology Management
Jason Nolan
Associate Professor, Early Childhood Studies
Frances Chi Okoye
PhD Candidate
Civil Engineering
Dérick Rousseau
Professor, Chemistry and Biology
Carol Shepstone
Chief Librarian
Fangmin Wang
Head of Library Information Technology Services