The Board of Directors and senior leadership team of the Digital Research Alliance of Canada are pleased to announce the appointment of Dr. Feridun Hamdullahpur as the new Alliance board chair.
Dr. Hamdullahpur brings a wealth of experience to the role of Chair with the Alliance. He served as the President of the University of Waterloo from 2010 to 2021, where he was instrumental in advancing the university’s reputation for innovation and research excellence. In addition to being the current Chancellor of the International Business University in Toronto, he is also an accomplished engineer, academic, and research leader who specializes in the areas of energy conversion, thermo-fluids, fuel cells, and hydrogen technologies. In acknowledgement of Dr. Hamdullahpur’s leadership in education and innovation to date, he was presented with the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal in 2013, and Order of Canada in 2022.
“It is both an honour and privilege to assume the role of Board Chair for The Digital Research Alliance of Canada and renew my commitment to building integrated digital research tools and services for Canada's researchers. Providing the most robust and connected infrastructure to our research communities is critical in our increasingly complex and multi-dimensional digital world. I am grateful for the diligence and solid leadership of the previous Board Chair, Martha Whitehead, who made excellent progress during her tenure. I am also excited to collaborate with CEO George Ross, the leadership team and the entire stakeholder community to evolve our vision of building a strong and vibrant digital ecosystem that accelerates research, innovation, and education – and most importantly, supports Canadian researchers to do their best work.”
We would like to thank the previous board chair, Martha Whitehead, who has served on the board since 2020, for her incredible contributions. Over the next year, she will continue to serve as an advisor to the board and board chair.
“As I end my term as Board Chair, I want to express my gratitude to my colleagues on the Board of Directors for their trust, collaboration, and dedication to the Alliance. I also want to thank the dedicated leadership team and staff, whose hard work and passion have been instrumental to the continued success of the Alliance. I have every confidence that under the leadership of our new Board Chair, and with the guidance of this capable Board, the Alliance will continue to thrive and reach new heights. I am pleased to remain on the Board as a director for one more year, to continue to support Feridun and the Alliance’s mandate."
Learn more about the Alliance’s Board of Directors and Digital Research Alliance membership.