Penny Pexman, vice-president (research), is a three-time graduate of Western who returned to London, Ont. last fall to lead the university’s research efforts after 25 years at the University of Calgary.
An expert and leader in cognitive psychology, Pexman, BA’92, MA’93, PhD’98, is passionate about the power of research to drive change in the world. She’s been meeting researchers across campus to better understand their needs and aspirations since she joined the university on Sept. 1, 2023.
Pexman spoke to Western News to outline her vision for the future of research at Western.
Western News: This role facilitated a return to Western and London. What has that been like?
Penny Pexman: It’s been so nice to come back to London. It’s been such a trip down memory lane. I’m delighted to be at Western and to be serving as vice-president (research).
What are some of your priorities right now?
PP: Research is increasingly, and for good reason, focused on impact. Interdisciplinarity is encouraged in many grant opportunities, and internationalization is also a priority. These are ways we can grow our research capacity – and our impact. We also need to provide support to our researchers to ensure they can conduct that kind of work. A focus in my office is reviewing all our support and compliance processes for grant applications. We want to lower barriers for our researchers applying for grants and funding.
Why is interdisciplinary research so important, and so popular right now?
PP: We have such deep disciplinary strengths at Western and I’m very happy for people to continue to flourish in their fields. At the same time, to tackle the big challenges in front of us, whether it’s climate change or social inequity, we need to bring multiple types of expertise to bear. We need to create the space and the support for interdisciplinary research, because it has potential to solve those big problems.
What are some of the successes that stood out to you in the last six months?
PP: I’m really proud of the programming we’ve launched to support partnered research. Partnerships play a vital role in how we aim to contribute. Whether it’s teaming up with local communities, industries, other institutes or universities abroad, collaboration is at the heart of our efforts. So, supporting these partnerships has been a real focus.
We have a new program we call RECAP, which just launched recently. It’s designed to provide support and best practices in partnered research or community-engaged research. It’s for our researchers, no matter where they are in their careers. It’s also available for partners, like community organizations or agencies, who want to understand how research works at the university and how to work with campus researchers to answer questions.
We’re also collaborating with the Western International team to ensure our efforts are aligned around research and academic aspirations internationally. That’s been really rewarding.
Why is reaching out beyond campus to the local community, or even farther afield, so important?
PP: A big part of the value proposition of a research-intensive university like Western is to be of service to the community. With our expertise and the talent we have on campus, we can help solve problems locally as well as nationally and internationally. That’s a key part of why we want to make sure we are well-supported and well-versed in good research practices with partners.
How are we enabling or empowering researchers to make an impact across the country and the world?
PP: It’s become clear in recent years in the research enterprise that we need to consider broader research impacts. There are many ways in which we can leverage a journal publication or research project report and share it more broadly. If your work ends up influencing policy or social justice activities, or maybe changes theory – these are all things we value. We want to help researchers realize the full potential and impact of their work.
What areas of research are a focus for Western right now?
PP: All research is important. One of the great joys of my job is the diversity of research I get to learn about. When we have strong faculties and strong disciplinary research, the vice-president (research) can play a key role in catalyzing interdisciplinary research between and across faculties.
We have some key levers to foster this such as our four research institutes (Bone and Joint Institute, Institute for Earth and Space Exploration, Rotman Institute of Philosophy, Western Institute for Neuroscience). We’re investing in those in a new way and see them among the key ways we can grow our interdisciplinary research capacity. Issues that are a priority are often, by nature, interdisciplinary. It’s particularly attractive, I think, for students to be involved in interdisciplinary projects where the work goes beyond our campus.
It’s a goal of mine to expand our offerings for undergraduate students to participate in research. One of the mechanisms that already exists at Western is the Undergraduate Summer Research Internship program. This is a priority at Western; we provide hundreds of undergraduates with these opportunities. It’s a full-time, paid research experience. Our undergraduate students have the chance to work with a faculty member on a research project of any discipline.
What are some examples of impactful research you’ve learned about since your arrival?
PP: We recently had the opportunity to visit the Frugal Biomedical Innovations project, which works to connect patients in remote or low-resource areas with new biomedical devices. They are creating high-quality and high-performance equipment and technologies, but at a lower cost. It is clearly having an impact. There are partners in Africa and in northern Canada. Students are engaged in this work, in addition to faculty members from several disciplines, and they’re solving problems. The Frugal Biomedical Innovations team designed 3D-printed prosthetics to assist individuals with disabilities in Ethiopia, a low-cost walker that people can build on their own and an operating table to help with surgeries in Uganda. It’s a wonderful thing to be able to see the benefits of research projects, and this one has had an impact in a short period of time. Most projects take years for a discovery to lead to a change, like a drug treatment for disease or a policy change. These researchers are leveraging their expertise and talents to make real impact in communities that have faced significant challenges.
What inspires you most in your role?
PP: Without a doubt, it’s the people who do research at Western. When I get to talk with them and hear about the amazing things they’re working on, it’s so inspiring. I’ve had the opportunity to engage with a number of researchers across campus and beyond. Of course, I aspire to meet many more. I’ve started to create some other opportunities to meet more researchers and really understand our strengths. That’s what fills my cup and energizes me. I try to make sure I have a bunch of those conversations every week because people love to talk about their research, and I love to hear about it.
