New Associate VP Research Named
June 27, 2013 - Campus Bulletin
Prof. John Livernois has been appointed U of G's associate vice-president (research services). His five-year appointment begins July 1. He has served as interim AVPR since January 2012.
The announcement was made today by Kevin Hall, vice-president (research), who chaired the selection committee.
“John has demonstrated that he is very capable of developing sound, rational solutions to the many complex and multi-faceted issues that arise in Research Services,” Hall said.
He said the selection committee was impressed by support for Livernois’s candidacy from the campus community, especially from the Research Services staff.
“John’s background as a skilled researcher in the social sciences provides a solid foundation for understanding the constantly changing research environment,” Hall said.
“He will also be an advocate for the University on a number of strategic national boards and panels.”
As AVPR, Livernois works with all seven colleges to promote and support the University's research and scholarship strengths.
He oversees Office of Research units, including major programs, contracts and grants, communications, ethics, information systems and risk management, and directs implementation of the University’s strategic research plan.
Livernois works closely with the federal tri-council granting agencies – the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council, the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council -- as well as with federal and provincial research programs, including the Canada Foundation for Innovation and the Ontario Research Fund.
“I am honoured and excited about the prospect of continuing to work to support, promote and build our research enterprise,” he said.
He credits “dedicated” staff members for developing strategic and operational goals, notably for enhancing research services.
“U of G is one of the top research-intensive universities in Canada, and I look forward to working with colleagues as we strive to enhance our rankings and raise our success rates in grant competitions,” he said. “This is no easy task, but I am committed to continuing to develop and implement concrete plans for achieving our ambitious goals.”
A U of G professor since 1991, Livernois chaired the Department of Economics and Finance from 2003 to 2011. Previously, he was an economics professor at the University of Alberta.
He studies the economics of natural resources and the environment, especially benefits and cost assessment, taxation, regulation and enforcement. Author of numerous journal articles and a textbook on mathematics and economics, he has served on the editorial board of the Canadian Journal of Economics and the Journal of Environmental Economics and Management. He has advised the federal Department of Finance, the Ontario Ministry of the Environment and the Walkerton Inquiry.
Livernois studied at the University of Toronto and the University of British Columbia.
