UNBC Announces new Vice President of Research

January 11, 2013

Dr. Ranjana Bird has officially joined the University of Northern British Columbia as its new Vice President of Research. Dr. Bird joins UNBC President George Iwama, Provost Mark Dale, and Vice Presidents Eileen Bray (Administration and Finance), and Rob van Adrichem (External Relations) to fill out the University’s Executive. 

Ranjana Bird

“I am delighted to join UNBC which has, at a relatively young age, earned a proud reputation as one of the four research-intensive universities in BC,” says Dr. Bird, who comes to UNBC from the University of Windsor, in Windsor, Ontario, where she was Vice President of Research. “I believe that the northern BC community is a major asset to UNBC and my goal is to strengthen and foster the connections between research, industry, and the community. Research and innovation are instrumental to enhancing regional prosperity and wellbeing. UNBC will remain committed to these mandates.”

Dr. Bird completed her B.Sc. in Biology from the University of Waterloo and M.Sc. and Ph.D. in Nutritional Sciences from the University of Guelph, where she specialized in Nutritional Toxicology. She has been recognized by the American Association for Cancer Research for her discovery of a novel method to identify early precancerous changes in the colon. This process is now used internationally to identify the risk of developing colon cancer, and potential cancer-preventing agents.

In 1991, Dr. Bird received the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council’s Women in Science Career Award at the University of Manitoba, where she served as professor, Associate Dean of Graduate Studies, and the Dean of the Faculty of Human Ecology. In 2003, she was appointed Dean of Graduate Studies at the University of Waterloo.