Special to Western News
Mark Daley, Western’s Special Advisor to the President on Data Strategy, has been appointed Vice-President (Research) for the Canadian Institute for Advanced Research (CIFAR), effective Aug. 17, the organization announced July 9.
Mark Daley, Western’s Special Advisor to the President on Data Strategy, has been appointed Vice-President (Research) of CIFAR, effective Aug. 17, the organization announced July 9.
Daley will continue his position as Special Advisor to the President, in a limited capacity, during the three-year secondment. Western’s former Associate Vice-President (Research) also retains professorial and research duties in the departments of Computer Science, Statistics & Actuarial Science, Electrical & Computer Engineering, Applied Mathematics, Epidemiology & Biostatistics, and Biology.
“This is a wonderful opportunity for Mark, and an equally exciting opportunity for us to showcase Western’s outstanding research expertise and leadership beyond the university,” President Alan Shepard said.
Founded in 1982, CIFAR – formerly the Canadian Institute for Advanced Research – is a charitable organization that brings together more than 400 researchers from 22 countries and 130 institutions to address complex global issues, ranging from artificial intelligence to evolutionary biology to space exploration.
CIFAR is supported by the governments of Canada, Quebec, British Columbia and Alberta, as well as numerous individuals, foundations and corporations.
“Researchers have a role to play in solving the societal challenges facing us. CIFAR is a place where I can further contribute to the global community,” Daley said.
Daley, BSc’99 (Computer Science and Mathematics), PhD’03 (Computer Science), MSc’12 (Neuroscience), serves on many boards including Compute Ontario and ICES. He is a co-founder of CanCOVID, an expert network of Canadian COVID-19 researchers, clinical collaborators, and health-care professionals.
In his most recent role as Special Advisor on Data Strategy, Daley co-created the framework for Western’s data strategy in consultation with Western’s students, staff and faculty. A strong advocate for evidence-based strategy, Daley employs his data science expertise to assist in strategic planning.
“Mark’s experience as an interdisciplinary researcher, his research administration background and ability to build strong partnerships will be an enormous asset to CIFAR,” said Alan Bernstein, CIFAR’s President and Chief Executive Office.
