George Brown Polytechnic is located on the traditional territory of the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation and other Indigenous peoples who have lived here over time. We are grateful to share this land as treaty people who learn, work and live in the community with each other.
Dr. Krista Holmes
Associate Vice President
As Associate Vice President, Research & Innovation at George Brown Polytechnic, Dr. Krista Holmes is accountable for the leadership, operational excellence and strategic oversight of the college’s research and innovation programs. She is passionate in her commitment to advancing research and innovation through academic, industry and community partnerships and collaboration.
Krista has over fifteen years of experience working in the postsecondary education sector in a broad range of positions including administrator, faculty member, support staff and consultant. She has built her career as an educator and innovation leader around developing, delivering, managing, and evaluating programming using evidence-driven principles of continuous quality improvement. Before joining George Brown, Krista was Associate Dean of Research & Innovation at Humber College, held a variety of positions at Seneca College including faculty member in the School of English and Liberal Studies, and worked with numerous community organizations including Pathways to Education Canada and the YWCA of Greater Toronto. Krista is committed to working within an anti-oppression framework in support of equity deserving groups.
With extensive expertise in research ethics, Krista has spent many years actively engaged in policy and advocacy initiatives to establish and maintain high quality and standards for the governance and administration of research ethics provincially, nationally and internationally. She currently serves as a member of the Research Ethics Board at Michael Garron Hospital.
Krista holds a Doctorate in Leadership, Adult and Higher Education from the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education at the University of Toronto, a Master’s degree in Public Policy and Administration from Carleton University and a Bachelor’s degree in Sociology and Global Development Studies from Queen’s University.
Yuchen Sun
Director, research programs
Yuchen Sun oversees the operations and growth of the GBC research programs. Since starting with the Office of Research and Innovation in 2013, Yuchen has established a track record of delivering successful applied research projects and programs in the Building Information Modeling, Building Science, and Mechanical Engineering fields. In addition, she provides expert support to industry partners and research staff, whether they are engaging in initial project scoping conversations, applying for funding, or executing a funded research project. Yuchen is a certified Project Management Professional and a MA Candidate in Education from the University of Central Michigan.
Areas of Expertise: Program Management; Project Management; Risk Management; Process Improvement; Grant Development & Administration
Email: ysun20@georgebrown.ca
Dan Reilly
Director, FIRSt
As the Director of FIRSt, Dan oversees all operations and client service delivery for GBC's Technology Access Centre. Since he began working at GBC in 2010, his leadership, strategic thinking skills, and commitment to process improvement have made him integral to the effective planning and execution of countless research programs and projects. Previously, Dan managed projects and events of all kinds, from statistical studies for the federal government to small-town music festivals. Dan graduated from George Brown Polytechnic with an Advanced Diploma in Business Administration and is a past recipient of GBC's Project Management Award of Distinction. He now teaches in the School of Management, training the next generation of project managers. Outside of work, Dan has completed the GBC Beer Specialist and Professional Cheesemonger programs, and can often be found at the Rogers Centre cheering on the Blue Jays.
Areas of Expertise: project management; strategic thinking; process improvement; team leadership
Email:dreilly@georgebrown.ca
Rosalina Declaro
Manager, Research Budget, Reporting & Asset Management
Currently on leave
Rosalina has more than ten years of experience in office administration, finance, accounting, and bookkeeping. She is a CPA from the Philippines, holds a B.Sc in Commerce, with a focus on accounting, from the University of Santo Tomas, and completed a Certificate in Computer Programming and Systems Analysis and Design from CICC-Japan. Since 2012, she has been the Budget and Operations Manager for the Office of Research and Innovation, where she oversees all departmental and research project budgets. Before joining the research and innovation team, Rosalina was a Controller at Traction Heavy Duty Truck Parts and a Managing Director at Rouge Hill Informatics.
Email: rdeclaro@georgebrown.ca
Victoria Trang
Interim Manager, Research Budget and Operations
Victoria Trang is the Interim Manager, Research Budget and Operations within the Office of Research & Innovation (ORI) at George Brown Polytechnic. In this role, she provides strategic financial oversight and advisory support across the RI department expanding research and innovation portfolio, which includes Applied Research, the Food Innovation and Research Studio (FIRSt), Entrepreneurship (StartGBC and IPON), and Sustainability through the Brookfield Sustainability Institute (BSI).
Victoria works collaboratively with divisional Directors, the Program Management team, and the Manager of Research Budget, Reporting & Asset Management to ensure effective financial planning, reporting, and regulatory compliance. With over 13 years of dedicated service at George Brown Polytechnic—all of which has been within the ORI—she brings a deep commitment to operational excellence, teamwork, and continuous improvement in a dynamic research environment.
Prior to joining George Brown Polytechnic, Victoria was a Project Analyst and Administrative Assistant at Catmedis Healthcare Inc. There, she trained and supervised junior project analysts, conducted market research, and served as a liaison between software developers and clients to streamline communication and project outcomes. Victoria is a proud graduate of George Brown Polytechnic’s School of Management, where she earned her diploma in Business. She is passionate about making meaningful contributions to the GBC community and remains committed to helping her team thrive.
Email: vtrang@georgebrown.ca
Ryan Billinger
Senior manager, mitacs
Ryan Billinger is a Professor and Principal Investigator working within George Brown Polytechnic’s Product Development Exchange (PDx), an interdisciplinary design, prototyping and assessment facility for industry experimental development of new products through iterative and rapid prototyping. Ryan Billinger has been a Professor of Mechanical Engineering Technology – Design in George Brown Polytechnic’s (GBC) Centre for Construction and Engineering Technologies since 2017. As a George Brown Polytechnic graduate (2015), Mr. Billinger has been working on various research projects since 2013, when he was first employed by the Research and Innovation Department. In addition to Graduating from George Brown Polytechnic, he competed his third-year capstone project at the University of Toronto, where he teamed up with two University of Toronto students to design and manufacture a fully function four-stroke engine. The engine was later used in an ultra fuel-efficient vehicle which competed at the Shell Eco-Marathon in Houston, Texas winning First Place (3421 MPG).
Dr. Tyrone Hall
Head of Research & Innovation, Brookfield Sustainability Institute
Tyrone Hall, PhD previously served as Special Advisor in the Office of the Vice President,
Academic Affairs at George Brown Polytechnic (GBC). Prior to joining GBC, Tyrone led strategic
outreach for climate change in the Executive Office of the Secretary-General at the United Nations.
He is a climate change specialist with 15 years of in-country research, intergovernmental and
industry experience across the Americas, Sub-Saharan Africa, India and the Pacific region.
Tyrone has an exceptional record of harnessing diverse institutional voices, directly strengthening
and boosting outcomes aligned with core priorities. His experience spans Toronto-based clean tech
start-ups, such as Manifest Climate, social enterprises and regional institutions to global
partnerships and institutions, such as the NDC Partnership and the United Nations, that are at the
forefront of multilateral processes.
His climate policy and communication competence are grounded in award-winning doctoral
research. He earned both Vanier and Ontario Trillium Awards, the two most prestigious in Canada,
for his doctoral work. Tyrone’s sustainability focus was also supported by MITACS Globalink
and a York University postdoctoral award.
More recently, he leveraged his unique research and industry experience to advise the Open
Society Foundations in New York for the establishment of its $50M climate justice programme.
Tyrone earned a doctorate in Communication with a specialization in sustainability policy and
politics from York University in 2019. His research examined campaign and negotiation processes
in relation to the landmark Paris Agreement on Climate Change, alongside communication
processes in 17 indigenous and traditional villages across Belize, Fiji and India.
He also holds a Masters in International Development and Social Change from Clark University
in Massachusetts. His graduate research focused on analyzing and communicating the value of
Environmental Impact Assessments for hotel developers, communities and policy-makers.
He is passionate about and previously taught advanced level university courses on climate and
food politics and supported the deployment of tech for rural economic development in Africa and
Latin America.
Email: Tyrone.Hall@georgebrown.ca
Areas of Expertise: Sustainability Policy and Strategy, Communication Planning and Strategy, Research
Jillian Butler
Knowledge Transfer & Communications Specialist
As Knowledge Transfer Coordinator, Jillian oversees all ongoing outreach for the ORI, including divisional messaging, media production, press releases, funding proposals and marketing materials. Her career to date has explored a diverse range of media, spanning traditional outlets like print, advertising and publishing as well as emerging sectors like film, design, digital and social media. Jillian received an M.A. in Media Studies from York University in 2012, a B.A. (Hons) in English Literature from Memorial University, and a certificate in Graphic Design at George Brown Polytechnic.
Areas of Expertise: graphic design; strategic communications; media production; creative problem solving; storytelling
Email: jbutler12@georgebrown.ca
Lorenza Carandang
Finance and Admin Coordinator, FIRST
Lorenza brings extensive experience in administration and managing operations to her position as Finance and Admin Coordinator at FIRSt. Her diverse skill set ranges from client management to financial and wealth management to investor and shareholder communications and budgeting. Before joining FIRSt, she worked at Kingsdale Shareholder Services and AIG Philippines. Her considerable history of office management ensures that streamlined operations and an efficient infrastructure support our partners and projects. Lorenza has a B.Sc. degree in Business Administration from the University of the Philippines.
Areas of Expertise: Operations management and control; Financial management and budgeting; Administration and office management
Daniel Caunter
Manager, Industry LiaIson and Business Development
Daniel brings over eight years of scope development and project management experience to George Brown, where he assists industry partners in smart building and fashion technology with all phases of scoping and project development in preparation for implementation. He is passionate about applying his business and project-related expertise to foster collaborative partnerships and support effective project planning and delivery. Before joining George Brown, Daniel worked with green and tech firms on projects in solar PV construction, energy efficiency programs, consumer packaged goods waste recycling, and customized software deployments. Daniel holds an MBA from the Schulich School of Business (York University), a Graduate Diploma in Business and Environment (York University), and a BCOMM (Concordia University). He is a certified Project Management Professional (PMP).
Areas of Expertise: Scope Development; Project Management; Collaborative Partnerships; Sustainable Business
Nuvi Dhaliwal
Program Manager, IDx
Nuvi has been managing projects and grants within the Healthcare and Food and Beverage Industry for 7+ years. Before joining George Brown, Nuvi managed medical research grants for the Physicians’ Services Incorporated (PSI) Foundation and worked for the Greenbelt Fund, supporting and promoting increased demand for and access to local food in Ontario. Nuvi uses project management skills heavily to meet business objectives while upholding exceptional customer service to run the best operations possible and continuously engage in projects. Nuvi has a BA from University of Guelph. She continues to nurture her passion for food and beverage by taking classes in George Brown’s Wine, Culinary and Baking Arts program.
Areas of Expertise: Project management; Grant management in healthcare, agriculture, agri-food, and product development; Relationship management
Heather Evans
Research Facilitator
As a Research Facilitator, Heather supports the development of research proposals at the ORI, working with PIs and partners to craft successful funding applications. They take a relations-centred, dialogical approach to proposal development, ensuring the grant writing process is supportive, generative, and energizing. Heather is a PhD candidate in Gender, Feminist, and Women’s Studies at York University and holds an MA in Human Security and Peacebuilding from Royal Roads University. They have over 15 years of experience in research design, research project management, and grant writing in the post-secondary, nonprofit, non-governmental, intergovernmental, health, and arts sectors in Canada, the United States, and South Korea.
Areas of Expertise: research design; grant writing; knowledge mobilization; interdisciplinary research methodologies; research project management
Ana Cristina Gigli
Program Manager, Fashion Exchange
Ana possesses a wealth of experience in risk management, project management, and data modelling and analysis, which she applies at the Fashion Exchange to track project progress and manage the project team to ensure successful delivery. Ana came to the research and innovation team from the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation, where she performed data analysis to optimize fundraising efforts. Ana has also served as an Enterprise Risk Consultant at Santander Bank in São Paulo, Brazil. She obtained a bachelor’s degree in Statistics and an MBA from the University of São Paulo and graduated from the George Brown Project Management Postgraduate program.
Areas of Expertise: Project management; Data analytics; Risk management; CRM expertise
Alexandra Hernandez
Program Manager, INTERnal Programs
Alexandra M. Hernandez is a psychology-trained researcher with 16 years of experience, including over 8-year record of providing research facilitation and management services to diverse interprofessional teams, in fast-paced research settings. She is driven by managing opportunities to expand research capacity and impacts through collaboration and innovation. She has facilitated all stages of research in academic, healthcare, and public health settings. Alexandra’s most recent role was as a Research Facilitator & Coordinator, Research and Ethics Services with Public Health Ontario from 2019 where she provided research administration expertise to PHO scientists through all phases of grants and funding process, facilitating third-party funded research. Prior to that she was Research Coordinator, Research and Academics Department for the Ontario Shores Centre for Mental Health Sciences where she facilitated the expansion of applied research in key areas, through engagement and mentorship of diverse internal and external stakeholders to build research capacity. She managed day-to-day research support and evaluation activities for the full-life cycle of projects and facilitated research collaboration and project execution. She also provided consultation during development of research and strategic initiatives. Alexandra has facilitated many research projects in social innovation, including examining the use of tablets to enhance social engagement in dementia care, using adaptive interaction for communicating with individuals with advanced Parkinson’s, examining the experience of loneliness in persons with cognitive decline on a psychogeriatric unit, and reducing the use of restraints and seclusion in mental health care. She looks forward to working with staff at George Brown to advance social innovation research. Alexandra holds a PhD in Psychology specializing in Cognitive and Behavioural Neuroscience.
Erin Jones
Information Architect
An expert in information management, Erin oversees the department’s information structures, ensuring that staff and stakeholders can easily store and use project-related data and information. In this capacity, she supervises data collection and reporting and is responsible for designing and maintaining an IAGO custom project information database. Erin brings deep expertise in applied research, digital design, and information sciences to her work at George Brown Polytechnic. She has a Masters of Information Studies, specializing in usability and human-computer interaction, from the University of Toronto. In addition, she has 12 years of experience designing and executing research studies focused on online learning and nine years of project management experience.
Areas of Expertise: Usability, and Human-Computer Interaction Information Management and Database Design; Interactive and User-Centred Design; Project Management; Research Study; Design and Execution
Email:ejones@georgebrown.ca
Michelle Kienitz-Henderson
Manager, Industry Liaison & Business Development, FIRst
Michelle brings a value-chain approach to FIRSt, where she has supported hundreds of food entrepreneurs throughout the product development process. Her academic and professional careers have focused on primary agriculture, agri-food, and agri-technology, and she even occasionally assists on her parents’ cash crop farm. With a BA in Social Development (University of Waterloo) and a MA in Political Science and International Development (University of Guelph), Michelle uses her interdisciplinary background to bring creative and holistic solutions to clients and partnerships. Michelle enjoys eating food as much as she enjoys working in the industry and is deeply committed to growing the food value chain in Ontario and Canada and increasing opportunities for Canadian food and agri-food companies.
Areas of Expertise: Food systems; Food Entrepreneurship; Relationship Management
Arbab Khan
Program Manager
Arbab draws from his extensive project management and business development experience and his practical experience in the construction industry to provide expertise and guidance to partners seeking solutions to mechanical engineering and construction sector research and innovation challenges. Skilled in managing projects in the fields of advanced prototyping, robotics information technology, building automation, IoT, and software development, Arbab has helped multiple clients execute projects and achieve success in developing innovative processes and products. His background working for numerous organizations is complimented by his master’s degree in Project Management (NICMAR), his post-graduate certificates in Construction Management (Fanshawe College, President’s Honor Roll) and Building Information Modelling (George Brown Polytechnic, Dean’s List), and his undergraduate degree in Civil Engineering (Jamia Millia Islamia University).
Alexis Lau
Research Resource Coordinator
Currently on Leave.
As Research Resource Coordinator, Alexis manages the onboarding of research staff and project personnel. Throughout her career in business and human resources, Alexis has been committed to improving staff experiences and institutional effectiveness by streamlining processes, increasing efficiency and applying her person-focused soft skills. A lifelong learner, she graduated with Honours from the diploma program in Human Resources at George Brown Polytechnic and will be graduating with a Bachelor of Commerce in Law and Business from Toronto Metropolitan University. In addition, Alexis has taken a variety of continuing education courses – from industrial sewing to wine tasting – at George Brown.
Areas of Expertise: Human Resources; Risk and Compliance; Project Management
Email: arodziewicz@georgebrown.ca
Baaba Lewis
Administrative Assistant
Baaba has over ten years of experience providing administrative support in and around the educational sector and has considerable familiarity with the college infrastructure. Since 2008, she has supported all research and innovation activities, helping streamline applied research across the college. As the front line of Research and Innovation, Baaba is essential to managing its relationships with external and internal clients and stakeholders, as well as the coordination of meetings, events, workshops, and training. In 2005, Baaba graduated from Ryerson University with a Bachelor of Commerce degree. Also a community-minded volunteer extraordinaire, Baaba was a George Brown Polytechnic’s United Way Cabinet Member from 2010 to 2012 and has served as a volunteer at convocation ceremonies.
Areas of Expertise: Event Coordination; customer service focus; research ethics; administration; volunteer extraordinaire
Email:blewis@georgebrown.ca
Candace Mascarenhas
Lab Operations Manager
From learning family recipes to working in hotels around the world, Candace’s passion for food has been her driving force. With over 16 years of culinary and foodservice experience, she has proven recipe and product development skills. Candace values building strong client relationships at FIRSt and has a proven track record of meeting the demands of FIRSt’s diverse and dynamic clients, who are often at the cutting edge of the foodservice and the consumer package goods industry. By collaborating with food scientists and culinary students at FIRSt, she applies her culinary and sensory science experience to meet the needs of FIRSt’s diverse clients to produce best-selling products. Her product roaster includes ready-to-drink beverages, sauces, healthy snacks and nutrition-focused recipes which help in the recovery of certain medical conditions. Since starting her career at FIRSt, she has seen first-hand how innovation pushes the boundaries when developing unique products and how food brings people together. Candace holds a BA from the University of Windsor and is an alumnus of both the George Brown Polytechnic (GBC) Culinary Management and Italian postgraduate programs. Candace is a member of the Research Chef Association and is a past recipient of the prestigious Ontario Hostelry Institute’s ‘Top 30 Under 30’ award.
Email: CRambert@georgebrown.ca
Tolu Olutunfese
Lead Food Scientist
Tolu Olutunfese brings over 15 years of experience in food product development, regulatory affairs and technical services to the FIRSt team. She has worked in and around food science for the span of her career, first in Food Quality Assurance, deepening into a specialization in Food Research, Product Development and Commercialization. She has previously held technical positions at Dr. Oetker Canada Ltd, NSF International, TDL Group and Cargill Foods, where she helped to bring new products to market while meeting standards in Food Safety and Quality Assurance. Tolu has recently completed a post-grad certificate in Regulatory Affairs at Humber College and received her Bachelors in Food Engineering from the Ladoke Akintola University of Technology. Tolu looks forward to making positive impacts within the FIRSt team and the food industry at large.
Areas of Expertise: Food Product Development, Regulatory Affairs, Quality Management
Andrea Orazi
IP Commercialization Manager
Previously Andrea was the founder of a CPG company and is very well versed in the start-up ecosystem. For 6 years, she grew The Chufa Co. from a small Toronto based alternative milk company to a nationally distributed brand with the top 3 retailers. Her experience as a founder has equipped her with practical insights into the commercialization process, enabling her to effectively support entrepreneurs and researchers in bringing their innovations to market. Andrea’s experience and passion for commercialization will support ORI and IPON’s ongoing efforts to drive impactful outcomes for Ontario’s innovation economy
AREAS OF EXPERTISE
- Business Development
- Entrepreneurship
- Marketing & Communications
- Food & Agriculture
Nisren Alsaied Suliman
Program Manager
Nisren Alsaied Suliman is a project manager with over a decade of experience leading multidisciplinary teams across applied research, education, and design. She currently supports strategic research initiatives at George Brown Polytechnic, where she has led over 20 funded research projects, coordinated industry partnerships, and mentored faculty and students. Nisren brings a collaborative, equity-focused approach to project delivery, with expertise in budgeting, stakeholder engagement, and institutional reporting. Her background in architecture and BIM adds a strong technical foundation to her work in innovation, and she is deeply committed to fostering inclusive, impact-driven environments.
Areas of Expertise: Project Management & Research Operations, Strategic Thinking & Stakeholder Engagement, Team Leadership & Mentorship, Process Improvement & Workflow Design, Applied Research & Process Improvement
Syeda Munzareen Rahman
Research Project Officer, FIRSt
Syeda Munzareen Rahman joins the college from her previous role as Research Project Coordinator at the Hospital for Sick Children. Syeda has extensive experience in project coordination and management in supporting cross functional projects/initiatives in both research hospital and academic institutions, including grant management, research ethics, contracts management, onboarding staff and students. Syeda has an MBA and received the Research Administration Certification in 2021. She has served as a member of the Canadian Association of Research Administrators (CARA) since 2020.
Caroline Rebello
Food Science Technologist, FIRSt
Morgan Watts
PROGRAM Manager
Currently on parental leave
Since 2013, Morgan has been managing projects focused on Digital Design, Healthcare, Food & Beverage, and Green Technology with the Office of Research and Innovation. Her current role is managing the Innovation Exchange within the School of Design. Here, she uses insights gained from these diverse industries to promote and support the exchange and its clients in achieving product dreams, improving the access and adoption of state-of-the-art technology, and supporting community relationships. In addition, with expertise in strategic planning, grant management, and innovative thinking, she provides tailored solutions and practical support throughout all stages of a project’s life cycle. Morgan is a graduate of George Brown’s Business Administration Program, where she specialized in project management, and came to this role with seven years of project management experience spanning the sports entertainment, healthcare, and hospitality sectors.
Areas of Expertise: Project Management; Strategic Planning; Grant Management; Innovative Thinking
Email: Morgan.Watts@georgebrown.ca