Plenary Panel

 Joined at the Hip: Memorial University and the Story of the Province of Newfoundland and Labrador

Wednesday, May 28th, 9:15 – 10:45am

Vicki Hallett is a settler Newfoundlander and an Associate Professor in the Department of Gender Studies at Memorial University, where she teaches courses on subjects such as feminist theory, genders and sexualities, and masculinities. She researches and writes about the complex ways identity and place are created and expressed through life narrative. 

Her primary focus in these endeavours are people of Newfoundland and Labrador whose stories have shaped and been shaped by this place yet have not received the attention and honour they deserve.  She has authored multiple scholarly works, including the book Mistress of the Blue Castle: The Writing Life of Phebe Florence Miller (MU Press, 2018).

Sylvia Moore is the Interim Dean and Founding Faculty of the School of Arctic and Subarctic Studies, Memorial University. She is also the UArctic Chair in Indigenous and Northern Education, and the Vice-Lead of the UArctic Verdde Indigenous Education Network. Sylvia is the former faculty lead for Memorial University’s Inuit Bachelor of Education and the Atlantic Research Co-Lead for the National Centre for Collaboration in Indigenous Education.

She has presented and published on topics of decolonizing and Indigenizing education at all levels, Indigenous teacher education, land-based learning, language rejuvenation, and Indigenous identity.

Jane Walker (she/her) is a visual artist and arts administrator based in Corner Brook / Elmastukwek.  She holds a BFA in Visual Arts from Grenfell Campus, Memorial University, and a Masters of Research from The Glasgow School of Art.

Walker is the Director of the Grenfell Art Gallery and has been deeply involved  in art initiatives across the province for 10 years, including the establishment of Union House Arts (2016-2022) and working with organizations like the Bonavista Biennale (2017, 2019, 2021) and Riddle Fence Journal of Arts and Culture (2018-2024). Jane has written for Canadian Art, Visual Arts News and other publications, winning the 2021 VANL-CARFAC Critical Eye Award for Art Writing.

Since 2021, she has also worked on public art projects with Business and Arts NL, including creating a Public Art strategy and later curating the art collection for the new Adult Mental Health and Addictions Centre in St. John's, opening in Spring 2025.

Jeff Webb is a Professor at Memorial University and is Head of its History Department. He is the author of three books:, that tells the story of pre-confederation public radio broadcasting; , that examines how scholars from different disciplines studied Newfoundland society and culture after confederation; and most recently, , that tells the story of the Memorial University Art Gallery’s efforts to foster a professional Newfoundland visual art.

He has also published numerous essays on a variety of topics. They include a history of the rise and fall of Memorial University’s Extension Service. In a project related to that, in collaboration with Derek Norman he made a documentary film, The Films of Fogo Island, that revisited Extension’s and the National Film Board’s pathbreaking development of participatory media as a tool for public engagement.

    Richard Audas is Professor of Health Statistics and Economics in the Division of Community Health and Humanities, Faculty of Medicine, Memorial University. He is Director of the Newfoundland and Labrador Centre for Applied Health Research, The Memorial University Statistics Canada Research Data Centre and the Memorial lead for the Masters of Applied Health Services Research.  His research focuses on empirical studies of policy issues using mixed methods. His teaching spans policy, research methods, economics and knowledge translation.

Richard has also held appointments with University of New Brunswick, Bangor University, Otago University and Manchester University.  He is also a Senior Research Fellow with the Macdonald-Laurier Institute.

Emad Rizkalla is a serial entrepreneur and recognized thought leader in the convergence of technology and learning… and how to leverage human capital in ways that develop people, organizations and economies. He is a global speaker about these topics and socio-economic issues that he is passionate about.

Emad co-founded the predecessor to Bluedrop in 1992 while still an engineering student. Before he was 30, Emad was recognized as a Top 40 under 40 and profiled in a TIME magazine cover story showcasing eight “young dynamic entrepreneurs who will create the 21st Century.”

Emad has been an active member of many national committees and task forces. He has chaired several not-for-profit boards. In 2013, he was honoured with the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal. He holds a Bachelor of Mechanical Engineering from Memorial University.

Keynote and Panel

What does a university owe the public?

Wednesday, May 28th, 2:15 – 3: 45pm

Ted Hewitt was appointed president of SSHRC in March 2015. He served as the inaugural chair of the  from 2017 to 2019 and was the first to serve a second term as chair in 2023. Ted was vice-president, research and international relations, at Western University in London, Ontario, from 2004 to 2011, where he had been a professor of sociology since 1989. He was also a public policy scholar at the Brazil Institute of the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars in Washington, D.C. A leading authority on Brazil, Ted has published in monographs, edited works and a range of academic journals. In 2018, Brazil’s Ministry of Foreign Relations named him Grand Officer of the Order of Rio Branco—one of the highest levels of merit—for the many years he has fostered bilateral business and research partnerships between Brazil and Canada.

Ted’s current research focuses on national and international innovation systems, with emphasis on the roles of universities, industry and government in promoting economic prosperity in Latin America and beyond. He is co-chair of the Canada-Brazil Joint Committee for Cooperation on Science, Technology and Innovation, and a member of the board of the Brazil-Canada Chamber of Commerce.

Ted holds a PhD in sociology from McMaster University.

Barbara Neis is a John Lewis Paton Distinguished University Professor, Professor Emerita and Honorary Research Professor, in Memorial University’s Department of Sociology. Current President of the Royal Society of Canada's Academy of Social Sciences, she received her Ph.D. in Sociology from the University of Toronto in 1988. She is also a former Fellow of the Trudeau Foundation and the recipient of honorary doctorates from York University and the University of Tromso in Norway.

Her research has focused mainly on interactions between work, environment, health and communities in marine and coastal contexts. Since the 1980s, she has carried out, supervised and supported collaborative research initiatives on the Newfoundland and Labrador fisheries including in the areas of fishermen’s knowledge, science and management; maritime occupational health and safety; rebuilding collapsed fisheries; and gender and fisheries. Between 2012 and 2023, she directed the SSHRC-funded On the Move Partnership, www.onthemovepartnership.ca, a large, multidisciplinary research program exploring the dynamics of extended/complex employment-related geographical mobility in the Canadian context and its impact on workers and their families, employers and communities. 

Rashid Sumaila is a University Killam Professor and Canada Research Chair (Tier 1) in Interdisciplinary Ocean and Fisheries Economics at the University of British Columbia's

Institute for    the Oceans and Fisheries and the School of Public Policy and Global Affairs. He was also named an ‘Extraordinary Professor” by the University of Pretoria in 2024.

 His research focuses on bioeconomics, marine ecosystem valuation and the analysis of global issues such as fisheries subsidies, marine protected areas, illegal fishing, climate change, marine plastic pollution, and oil spills. Clarivate has named Sumaila a “highly cited researcher” every year since 2021. His Ph.D. in Economics from the University of Bergen, Norway and B.Sc. in Quantity Surveying from the Ahmadu Bello University, Nigeria.

He has received numerous awards and honors, including the 2023 Tyler Prize in Environmental Achievement; and the 2017 Volvo Environment Prize. Sumaila was named one of  “100 Most Influential Africans” in 2023.

Knowledge Mobilization Panel

Where Public Engagement Meets Knowledge Mobilization 

Thursday, May 29th, 11:30am-4:00pm

Michael Johnny is Manager of Knowledge Mobilization at York University, operating in this capacity since 2006.  Michael operates as a university-based service professional connecting researchers, students, policy professionals, community organizations, entrepreneurs and industry leaders to collaborate; maximizing the social, economic and environmental impacts research for public good. 

Michael and his team have been recognized by York University for their commitment to service with the Harriet Lewis Award for Service Excellence.  When Michael is not mobilizing knowledge he enjoys time golfing, baking or walking his dog.

Krista Jensen is a Senior Knowledge Mobilization Specialist at York University. She holds a Master of Information Studies degree from the University of Toronto and has over 15 years of experience working in knowledge mobilization. Her work focuses mainly on knowledge mobilization training and the use of technology and social media tools in research collaborations.

In 2024, Krista was the recipient of the Peter Levesque Award for Knowledge Mobilization Leadership as well as the Directors' Award for Inter-institutional Collaboration from the Canadian Association of Research Administrators (CARA) in recognition of her work on developing an 8 week knowledge mobilization course called MobilizeU, offered through the Research Impact Canada network.

When she is not busy mobilizing knowledge, Krista can often be found reading mystery novels, knitting, or talking to her guinea pigs.

Sevtap Savas, PhD. Sevtap is an advocate, cancer scientist, and professor at Memorial University. Her main goal is to improve the social and medical outcomes of cancer patients through research, advocacy, leadership, service, community outreach, and public engagement.

Rochelle Baker has been the Manager of Communications, Partnerships and Research & Knowledge Exchange at the NL Centre for Applied Health Research in the Faculty of Medicine for the past fourteen years. Bringing experience in strategic communications from both private and public sectors to her work at NLCAHR, Rochelle has built relationships with people across sectors.

 Under her leadership, the Research and Knowledge Exchange Program at NLCAHR has expanded from 6 to 22 groups with a membership exceeding 1800 participants from university, health, and community settings. Rochelle has been a strong advocate for the role of lived and living experience to inform both health research and policy making. As a strategic communicator, she strives to create accessible and effective research reports for the Contextualized Health Research Synthesis Program and to shape knowledge translation products and collaborative opportunities by connecting the diverse perspectives that are required to tackle complex issues.

Sarah Worthman (she/they) is  the founder and executive director of the NL Queer Research Initiative, a grassroots organization that was established to develop and collect 2slgbtq+ centered research in Newfoundland and Labrador.

Additionally, they have been nationally recognized for co-founding the advocacy campaign #nospaceforhate which addresses the growing rise in anti-2slgbtq+ hate across the country. Above all else, everything Sarah does is driven by a deep passion to improve the lives of 2slgbtq+ people across Canada.

Check out the Shedule of Events or Register for Engage Memorial Symposium 2025: Practice and Place

*Additional bios will be added as they are confirmed