Welcoming our newest professors in the Faculty of Science

With the excitement of a new academic year, Saint Mary’s is pleased to welcome new professors to the Faculty of Science who bring research expertise in psychology, biology, earth science, environmental science, mathematics, and computing science. Read below to meet our new faculty members!

---

Dr. Mark Bowler

Department: Psychology

Specialty: Industrial/Organizational Psychology

Classes: Graduate Statistics

Hometown: Detroit, Michigan, USA

PhD: University of Tennessee

Research focus: My primary area of investigation is in Employee Net Promoter Score (eNPS) as an indicator of employees’ willingness to advocate for their organization by examining its relationships with employee attitudes, individual differences, job demands and resources, well-being, leadership, and workplace behaviors. My secondary area of research examines how health-oriented and health-promoting leadership shape employee health, well-being, recovery behaviors, and work engagement, with particular attention to the individual and contextual factors that determine when these leadership approaches are most effective.

Awards/funding: My notable awards and funding include the ECU Distinguished Doctoral Faculty Mentor Award (2021), ECU Honored Instructor Awards (2022, 2023), and the BB&T Faculty Leadership Scholar Fellowship, co-PI on a $1.999 million NSF-funded project, along with publishing 26 peer-reviewed articles including work in the Journal of Applied Psychology and Organizational Research Methods, and chairing 11 doctoral dissertations and 35 master’s theses.

---

Dr. Thamali Kariyawasam

Department: Biology

Specialty: Synthetic biology, microalgal biotechnology, living biomaterials, regenerative medicine, and sustainable biomedical applications.

Classes I’m teaching/planning to teach: Biology 2321 (Cell Biology)

Hometown: Kelaniya, Sri Lanka

PhD: University of British Columbia

Research focus: My research focuses on engineering photosynthetic microalgae as programmable cell factories for the production and delivery of therapeutic biomolecules. I develop living biomaterial systems that combine genetically engineered microalgae with advanced biomaterials to provide localized oxygen and sustained delivery of bioactive molecules for tissue regeneration and wound healing, while advancing sustainable healthcare solutions.

Dr. James Steenberg

Department: Environmental Science / Geography and Environmental Studies

Specialty: Trees and forest ecosystems

Classes: GEOG 3386, ENVS 3410

Hometown: Halifax

PhD: Toronto Metropolitan University

Research website: https://sites.google.com/site/jamessteenberg

Research focus: My research is focused on the ecology and sustainable management of both urban and commercially managed forests. This research leverages geomatics, statistics and spatial statistics, ecosystem modelling, and empirical field research to characterize, analyze, and monitor forests to inform sustainable management.

Awards/funding: NSERC Alliance (current), Killam Postdoctoral Fellowship, Fulbright Award

---

Dr. Carson Kinney

Department: Earth Science

Specialty: Metamorphic Petrology and Geologic Mapping

Classes I’m teaching/plan to teach: ERTH 1204, ERTH 2400, ERTH 3305, ERTH 4301; Generally how to make geologic maps

Hometown: Petawawa, ON

PhD: University of Waterloo

Research focus: I love to study how the Earth’s crust is formed, the rocks which comprise it, and how it records the cooling of our planet using numerical models to pair with field observations.

Notable awards: Dr. Kinney has recently received the Jack Henderson Best PhD Award from the Canadian Tectonics Group as well as the W.B Pearson Medal for the most creative earth science PhD thesis from the University of Waterloo. He is excited to share his love of making maps and recording which rocks make constitute the continental crust on which we live.

Dr. Jillian Kendrick

Department: Earth Science

Specialty: Metamorphic and Igneous Petrology

Classes: Understanding the Earth (ERTH1200), Mineralogy (ERTH2301), Igneous Petrology (ERTH3312), Metamorphic Petrology (ERTH3313)

Hometown: Shag Harbour, Nova Scotia

PhD: University of Waterloo ‘22

Research website: www.jilliankendrick.ca/

“I have a particular interest in early Earth, and have been working to understand how continental crust was formed and how it has evolved through geologic time.”

Notable awards: Dr. Kendrick has recently received an NSERC Postdoctoral Fellowship and a W.B. Pearson Medal, and was a Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarship winner as a graduate student. She is an enthusiastic contributor to science outreach initiatives including science fairs and workshops.

---

Dr. Jake Chinis

Department: Mathematics and Computing Science

Specialty: Analytic Number Theory

Classes: Introduction to Analytic Number Theory

Hometown: Montreal, QC

PhD: From McGill University

Research website: https://sites.google.com/view/jakechinis/home

Research focus: Means values and correlations of multiplicative functions.

Notable awards: Cat Dad of the Year (*in perpetuity, self-nominated)

Dr. Nikita Neveditsin 

Department: Mathematics and Computing Science 

Specialty: Natural language processing, health informatics, artificial intelligence 

Classes: Advanced Computer Programming and Problem Solving, Exploring Generative AI, Natural Language Processing and Large Language Models, Artificial Intelligence 

PhD: Saint Mary’s University

Research focus: Small language models, neuro-symbolic AI, low-resource AI, text representations.

Awards: AARMS junior researcher travel award, NAACL SRW grant. 

---

About the Faculty of Science at Saint Mary’s:

Home to nine academic units that offer a range of undergraduate and graduate programs, the Faculty of Science at Saint Mary's University prepares students for a future in science. Our students have found success in careers across Canada and around the world in professional fields such as health care, engineering, teaching, research and more.

Saint Mary's science and engineering students have access to a range of academic student supports to help them succeed, including the SNAP Centre which offers free academic tutoring by Dean’s List students, and Science Advisors who guide students on their academic journey.

Thanks to our small, community atmosphere, many of our undergraduates participate in their professors’ research projects—a valuable experience that can be hard to come by at larger institutions.

Sobey School research secures $219,000 SSHRC Grant to tackle Canada’s productivity challenge

Dr. Mohammad Rahaman

Saint Mary's University’s Sobey School of Business continues to advance high-impact, policy-relevant research with a major national funding success.

Dr. Mohammad Rahaman, Canada Research Chair in International Finance and Competitiveness, has been awarded a prestigious Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) of Canada Insight Grant valued at $219,000 over three years (2026–2029).

The funded project, “Banking on Intelligence: The Role of Private Credit Markets in Advancing AI Investment, Innovation, and Productivity,” addresses one of Canada’s most pressing economic challenges: lagging business-sector productivity relative to other advanced economies.

Although Canada is a global leader in artificial intelligence research, firms have struggled to translate innovation into widespread productivity gains. AI adoption remains uneven and resource-intensive, requiring sustained investment in data infrastructure, R&D and talent.

This research introduces a new perspective by focusing on private credit markets, banks and non-bank lenders, the primary source of financing for most firms. The project will examine how access to credit shapes AI adoption, the economic channels linking financing to innovation, and how lenders act as governance mechanisms by disciplining misleading AI-related disclosures.

“This project is about understanding how we finance the future of the Canadian economy,” said Dr. Rahaman. “AI has enormous potential to drive productivity, but without the right financial infrastructure, that potential will remain unrealized. Our goal is to identify how credit markets can unlock that transformation.”

The research is conducted in collaboration with Dr. Najah Attig of Dalhousie University, highlighting strong regional partnerships within Atlantic Canada.

By combining large-scale financial datasets with advanced econometric and natural language processing techniques, the project aims to generate actionable insights for policymakers, financial institutions, and business leaders.

This award underscores Sobey School's commitment to rigorous, business-focused research that addresses real-world challenges, reinforcing its role as a leader in advancing Canada’s innovation and competitiveness agenda.

Eclipse-viewers gather for Saint Mary’s event

On August 12, astronomers and curious community members gathered in front of the Burke Building at Saint Mary’s to view the partial solar eclipse. Researchers and staff from SMU’s Burke-Gaffney Observatory (BGO) set up solar telescopes and provided eclipse glasses to anyone who wanted a safe glimpse of the event.

Halifax observed a partial eclipse with about 30% coverage, according to Tiffany Fields, Astronomy Technician for the BGO. In an interview with CBC News about the viewing event, Tiffany said, “Sharing this excitement, enthusiasm and wonder with the public is so vital and so important and also so fun. […] there’s sort of always that wonder of what’s going on in space. And so I really enjoy being able to share that with people.”

The Burke-Gaffney Observatory at Saint Mary’s is open to the public and focuses on education in the Department of Astronomy and Physics along with public outreach, including open houses and tours. Check the Burke-Gaffney Observatory website to learn more about upcoming solar and lunar events.

See videos below for news coverage of the event.

CBC News

CTV News

Dr. Linda Campbell wins James McGregor Stewart Award

L-R: Gus Reed, Lois Miller and Kevin Murphy, Board Members of the James McGregor Stewart Society with Dr. Linda Campbell and Kayla MacKinnon.

Congratulations to Dr. Linda Campbell, co-winner of the 2026 James McGregor Stewart Award. This award recognizes the outstanding contributions of individuals living with a disability. 

Dr. Campbell is a Professor and Senior Research Fellow at Saint Mary’s University and Chair of the Department of Environmental Science. A staunch advocate for persons with disabilities, she was influential in having the Accessibility Act passed in Nova Scotia in 2017, and she received a Human Rights Award for her efforts. In 2026, she was also ranked the No. 1 deaf researcher in the world. 

She shares the award with wheelchair basketball athlete and coach Kayla MacKinnon, who won a gold medal for Canada at the Youth Parapan American Games last year.

“The James McGregor Stewart Award recognizes decades of work to prevent and remove barriers for people who live with disabilities,” says Dr. Linda Campbell. “This type of recognition lifts voices that aren’t always heard and I’m proud to share the award with Kayla MacKinnon, who is an impressive and inspiring member of the next generation of advocates.” 

The James McGregor Stewart Award was established in 2015 through the Community Foundation of Nova Scotia. It honours the accomplishments of James McGregor Stewart, a lawyer in this province who overcame many barriers.

Mapping the system: Beyond the waitlist

Jonah Crowther, Katie Brooks, Julia Faloon, Anna Streeter and Luke Pound represented the Sobey School of Business at Map the System in the UK

Sobey MBA Team recognized for mapping Nova Scotia’s family physician shortage

Last week, a team of Sobey MBA students received a Systems Mapping Excellence Award in a competition called Map the System (MTS), held at Oxford University, UK. It was the first time a Saint Mary’s University team had entered the competition. Julia Faloon, Anna Streeter, Luke Pound, Jonah Crowther and Katie Brooks analysed and presented on the systems around Nova Scotia’s family physician shortage.

Founded in 2016, the Map the System competition, held at the Skoll Centre for Social Entrepreneurship, builds a community of practitioners, educators and students around systems thinking, an approach to entrenched and intractable social and environmental problems that examines both mitigating and exacerbating factors. The competition stands apart from most others in that participating teams are not tasked with building solutions and recommendations. Instead, they are evaluated on how well they have mapped and analysed the contributing factors to a problem, their ability to translate data into a compelling story, and their understanding of root causes and potential leverage points for change.

The team received a Systems Mapping Excellence Award for their analysis of the Nova Scotia family physician shortage

In the SMU team’s analysis, some of the factors were immigration trends, rural versus urban realities, career perceptions of family medicine, public expectations, burnout and isolation. During the analysis, retention of doctors and perceptions about the attractiveness of family medicine as a career option appeared as weaker areas in the system.

In addition to traditional research, Anna said, “We got to listen to a lot of different perspectives throughout our entire project, whether they were from different organizations or different levels within the organization, but they all helped reveal something different about the system we were looking into, which we may have overlooked if we didn't reach out to them.”

Systems thinking in MBA

Annika Voltan teaches an MBA course called Sustainable Change Leadership, where she introduces systems thinking as an essential skill for future leaders. This past winter, students in her class participated in the campus-level Map the System competition.

In reflecting on why she feels that systems thinking and systems mapping are so important, she noted: "In today's busy world, we're often evaluated based on efficiency and productivity measures, which leads us to jump into solutions when faced with problems. But the complex challenges we're facing require deeper understanding of contributing factors, power dynamics and interconnections if we're going to be able to shift toward better outcomes. Systems thinking is increasingly being recognized as an essential skill set for navigating the wicked problems of our time."

Camaraderie and support

The team were impressed by the collegial and supportive atmosphere associated with the competition, all the way through. They received advice and encouragement from several Sobey professors, as well as from staff at the Arthur L. Irving Entrepreneurship Centre and Executive and Professional Development. MTS assigned the team three judges. Here in Halifax, they connected with a health researcher named Sam Petrie who competed at MTS in 2020. The others were Ishaw Sharma (Toronto) and Mariana Cardenas Marquez (Montreal). Even the judges were supportive, said Katie: “They were rooting for you to succeed in the questioning. They wanted to give you the opportunity to share more, if you missed anything and really show your understanding.”

Jonah added that after complimenting another team on their presentation, that team commented about the SMU team being all MBA students. Jonah said, “I kind of took a step back and thought, wow, they view almost us as the experts.” While the team may not be experts in healthcare, they were the people in the room who knew the most about the Nova Scotia healthcare system, thanks to their research and analysis.

Coming into the competition, Julia noted they had expected it to be intense and perhaps more rigid. “The camaraderie that we all felt, the gratitude that was in the room for everyone being there was super cool to experience.”

The team is excited to share their report findings at Lead With Purpose Day in November

Looking forward

Looking ahead, the team is excited for another SMU team to participate next year so they can share some of what they learned.

“How do you even articulate to the class that comes in next year? Like, how do you get people to feel like we feel right now about it, because we're so in it,” said Katie.  Anna noted they hadn’t expected the breadth or complexity of some of the issues being mapped.

The passion and storytelling of the finalist teams made a strong impression on Jonah. “I think what I really appreciated was not just learning about the issues happening in those countries, but also just seeing the passion they brought when they were presenting on those topics.”

What happens now with the report? They will be bringing it to the PRME research expo at the Sobey School of Business’ Lead With Purpose Day on November 20. Katie says, “You can do a lot with this. So many people in the community now want to read our report and our findings.”

For the birds: Star student researchers study European starlings

European starlings are banded and studied by biology students on SMU campus

Dr. Colleen Barber and student researchers

Nest boxes can be seen around campus

For 20 years, Dr. Colleen Barber has been using a long-term study on European starlings to teach her students research skills

The Saint Mary’s University campus in Halifax’s south end is the perfect location for an interesting long-term research project on birds—specifically European starlings (Sturnus vulgaris), which thrive in urban settings. There are more than 40 nest boxes scattered across the campus.

Dr. Colleen Barber has been guiding her biology students in conducting research on these resilient birds for more than 20 years. They have produced theses and published papers on the effects of climate change on this species, its songs, mate choice, parental investment, and the types and abundance of garbage found in its nests.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by SMU Science (@smuscience)

European starlings are not native to Nova Scotia but have been here for more than 100 years. They have adapted well to urban living, creating nests from natural and anthropogenic materials, including plastics and other litter.

“We have discovered that European starlings have many reproductive strategies—they have a very dynamic mating system,” says Dr. Barber. 

“Some nestlings belong to both parents who are feeding them (within-pair young), while other nestlings genetically belong only to the mom or dad (extra-pair maternity or paternity), and some nestlings don’t genetically belong to either parent (intraspecific brood parasitism).”

Dr. Barber’s students have used campus nest boxes to research why the starlings use garbage and feathers in their nests. Others have studied why male starlings mimic the calls of blue jays, chickadees, crows and sirens. Student teams have also examined the effects of ectoparasites that live on the birds’ skin and feathers.

Students take their first set of measurements when the nestlings are five days old. They measure the birds’ size and weight and take small blood samples to determine parentage through DNA microsatellite analysis. They return to the nest boxes when the nestlings are 11 days old, taking the same measurements to record growth rate. They also capture the parents to band and measure them and to take a small blood sample.

The research is interesting—this species is the proverbial “canary in the coal mine,” displaying the effects of climate change in its nesting, reproductive strategies and breeding success.

Dr. Barber is a calm, reassuring presence as she instructs students in taking careful measurements, banding the birds’ legs, and recording data. For her, teaching students how to do research is the overarching goal of the project.

“Seeing my students become sure of themselves as researchers—learning to do the research and interpret their results accurately is gratifying as a teacher and a mentor,” says Dr. Barber.

SMU in the news:

Sociology grad receives prestigious SSHRC Research Scholarship

Sarah Delorme BA’26

Sarah Delorme, a Sociology Honours graduate from Saint Mary's University, was recently awarded a $27,000 Canada Graduate Research Scholarship – Master's (CGRS-M) from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC). The scholarship will support her Master of Arts in Sociology at Concordia University beginning in Fall 2026. In addition, Sarah has been awarded a $6,000 Graduate Special Entrance Scholarship from Concordia University.

After completing the first two years of her Bachelor of Arts at Laurentian University in Ontario, Sarah transferred to Saint Mary's University, where she became deeply involved in academic and campus life. She first served as Secretary and later as Co-President of the SMU Sociology Society, helping to organize both small- and large-scale events for students.

Sarah also gained valuable research experience through several projects. She worked as a research assistant and newsletter assistant editor for the GBV-MIG Canada Research Program under the supervision of Dr. Evangelia Tastsoglou, contributing to research on gender-based violence and migration. Her broad interest in sociological issues also led her to work as a research assistant on Dr. Rui Hou's research on digital mental health interventions for Asian immigrant youth and on Dr. Pauline Hoebanx's research exploring misogynistic online movements.

Beyond her academic work, Sarah has contributed to the Saint Mary's community in numerous roles, including as a Sociology Teaching Assistant, Assistant for the Sobey School of Business Research Newsletter, Secretary of the SMUSA Board of Directors, Game Day Ticketing staff with Athletics & Recreation, and Peer Notetaker for the Fred Smithers Centre for Student Accessibility.

A consistent Dean's Honour List student, Sarah received a Bursary Award in 2022 and an Academic Excellence Award in 2023 from Laurentian University. At Saint Mary's University, she earned an Academic Achievement Award and several other merit awards. In 2026, she was awarded the Outstanding Graduating Sociology Student Award by the Canadian Sociological Association (CSA).

Inspired by her work with the GBV-MIG project, Sarah completed her Honours thesis on the resilience of migrant and refugee women who have experienced gender-based violence in migration contexts.

Sarah at Convocation in May 2026

Reflecting on the award, Sarah said she is grateful for the opportunities and mentorship she received throughout her time at Saint Mary's.

"Receiving this scholarship is incredibly exciting and affirming. My experiences at Saint Mary's gave me the opportunity to explore a wide range of sociological topics, work alongside inspiring faculty members, and contribute to research that addresses important social issues. Through those experiences, I discovered a passion for research and a desire to better understand how people navigate complex challenges. I'm excited to continue that work at Concordia and build on the foundation I developed at Saint Mary's."

Dr. Evie Tastsoglou, Professor of Sociology cross-appointed in Political Science and Global Development Studies, said Sarah's success reflects both her academic abilities and her commitment to meaningful research.

Dr. Evie Tastsoglou

"Sarah has distinguished herself through her intellectual curiosity, strong work ethic, and commitment to understanding issues that affect marginalized communities. Whether as a student, research assistant, or campus leader, she has consistently demonstrated thoughtfulness, professionalism, and a desire to make a positive contribution. This SSHRC award is a well-deserved recognition of her achievements and potential as a scholar."

As she prepares to begin her master's studies at Concordia University, Sarah looks forward to continuing her research and contributing to important conversations in sociology. Her achievements reflect a strong commitment to academic excellence, community engagement, and meaningful social research.

Automating for the future

Michael Toner has a restless drive to streamline and improve data analysis through AI automation

When Michael Toner completed his Screen Arts and Cultures degree at the University of Michigan, he didn’t anticipate that every job he would get would end up being about data.

The Los Angeles native says, “Whether it was ingesting footage for reality TV, mapping demographics for the city, or managing financial accounts at LA Metro, I kept finding myself automating the work and eventually realized that was the part I actually loved.”

He set out to identify a Master’s program that would let him focus on the intersection of business and data. A factor he had to consider was that he did not have a traditional STEM background, something many programs were looking for.

The Sobey Master of Business Analytics (MBAN) program was the right fit for Michael.

“Saint Mary's stood out in a narrow field. Only a handful of universities offer an MBAN program — most institutions go the MBA or Master of Data Science route,” says Michael. He plans to pursue a career in financial automation. He notes, “Financial data is unusually clean and structured compared to most domains, which means someone with the right skills can move fast and have real impact. And the demand is everywhere. Every company has a finance function.”

Testing his mettle

During the program, Michael has enjoyed competition opportunities to explore his enhanced skillset with coding and AI, developing promising innovative solutions for long-term intractable problems like food insecurity and emergency department wait times.

“At RBC Hubhacks, my team built an AI-powered financial engineering solution for food insecurity in Nova Scotia. We did well enough that we were invited to present to Halifax Partnership and then to Feed Nova Scotia directly. At CGI Datajam, we placed third out of 30 teams with an AI screening tool that cut emergency department wait times by roughly two hours per patient.”

Bringing automation to research insights

In January 2026, professor Chantal Hervieux hired Toner to work with the Centre for Leadership Excellence as a research assistant. CLE had built a relationship with a company called TrendAI, which was looking for background and industry research. TrendAI is an AI-powered demand planning and supply chain tool aimed at small to medium fashion retailers in Canada. It was founded by longtime friends, one with a background in textile manufacturing, the other in software-as-a-service.

Michael describes his research assistant role this way: “I ran background research on the Canadian fashion industry to identify TrendAI's best point of entry, surveyed small and medium enterprises, and from that built the product specifications, business model, development roadmap, and pathway to profitability.”

The survey was challenging. Response rates were so low, Michael needed thousands of contacts to reach statistical significance. When databases available through the library were insufficient, he created a solution: “I wrote Python to pull contacts from the Google Maps API and ended up with about 6,500 emails. The takeaway I'll carry forward is to think about response rates and outreach scale upfront, and to reach for technical solutions earlier rather than grinding manually.  Automating outreach was the only way the research worked at all.”

A glimpse of the future

High school students participated in SMU’s AI co-op

Michael shares that there was a surprise for him in the research. “I interviewed three Canadian business owners running operations out of their garages with fewer than five employees. Twenty years ago, that same output would have required a hundred people. The headline finding from the surveys was that AI is acting as an equalizing force for small businesses, not a threat — and these three were proof. That's the future I want to help build.”

He is already working on building the future – last winter, he was one of the MBAN students who taught a cohort of high school co-op students about AI. Michael is currently doing an internship with JD Irving in Saint John while completing his degree. He will graduate next winter.

"Volunteers Needed": Saint Mary's sports research centre shines a light on recreational sports infrastructure

2023 Canada Winter Games volunteers

From a kid’s first T-ball season to a company’s Sunday night hockey league, sport and recreation programs across the country depend on regular people setting up, taking down, taking on administrative tasks, handling transportation and coaching players on their own time to keep activities running. 

It’s not a system of favours—it’s an expectation that parents, friends and neighbours will do what it takes to make sure the game goes on, and that expectation can put a lot of pressure on those who step up and take the lead.  

The Scott McCain & Leslie McLean Centre for Sport, Business and Health at SMU has partnered with Dr. Jackie Oncescu (Associate Professor of Kinesiology at UNB), and a team of researchers at All In Research & Innovation Inc. (All In) to shine a light on an often under-represented and under-researched demographic: volunteers.  

Good Idea, Better Timing  

The origins of this project started in New Brunswick, with Dr. Jackie Oncescu and research designer Dr. Jules Maitland (Founder of All In) co-leading the “Reimagining Access to Sport, Recreation and Leisure” project—a wide-ranging inquiry into equitable access and inclusion to sport, recreation and leisure in New Brunswick.  

2025 Canada Summer Games Volunteers with Team New Brunswick

As the original project came to a close, a growing curiosity emerged around the circumstances that contribute to access and inclusion in sport, and how that access (or lack thereof) can shape communities. This curiosity sparked ongoing conversations with Recreation New Brunswick and Sport New Brunswick—organizations that have a shared interest in examining volunteers and their role in the recreation space—and those conversations turned to the role of volunteers in community systems and how their experiences impact sport systems in New Brunswick.   

Meanwhile at Saint Mary’s, the team at the Scott McCain & Leslie McLean Centre for Sport, Business and Health was studying the mental health and wellbeing of sports volunteers. Once the connection was made between these groups, the rest was history, and the “SERVE project” (Supporting and Enhancing Rewarding Volunteer Experiences in Sport and Recreation) began.  

“It was just one of those lovely moments of stars aligning,” says research designer Dr. Jules Maitland. “It just made sense to build on the momentum that had already been started in New Brunswick by working with the team at the Scott McCain & Leslie McLean Centre for Sport, Business and Health.”

Understanding Volunteerism in Sport 

If you’ve ever participated in a recreational sport, you’ve likely witnessed the volunteer work that makes it happen—or you’ve been the volunteer yourself.  

Volunteers on the photography team at the 2025 Canada Summer Games

“This entire sector—especially when you're talking about community sports organizations and recreation organizations—really wouldn't exist without volunteers,” says Madeleine Whalen, Co-Lead on the SERVE project. “They're heavily volunteer-based all the way to the governance level. From coaches to board members, it's very rare that these positions are offered with a large salary.”  

There is a lot of work to keep an athletics program running, and most of it happens before and after the game. Oftentimes, both former and current athletes use their off time to support these programs. Parents and guardians of children who are involved in sports regularly take on extra work, adding more responsibility to their everyday lives.  

When the entire system depends on participants going above and beyond to keep programs running, the longevity of those programs—and the well-being of those who run them—starts to become precarious. 

Supporting the Supporters 

This collaboration involves a 2025 literature review completed by former research assistant Ashley Penney for the Scott McCain & Leslie McLean Centre for Sport, Business and Health

Dr. Oncescu and the All In team is now working with the centre to dig deeper into the state of volunteerism in sport and develop scalable, innovative solutions to ensure that these programs, and the volunteers that make them possible, are able to thrive. 

Using human-centred design to map patterns from interviews with current and former sports volunteers, this collaborative team is gearing up to answer some key questions on how we can make sport better. 

“One of our priorities is making sure the needs of both volunteers and the organizations are met, ensuring that those experiences are satisfying and sustainable. So, we’re drawing from literature on workplace burnout as a framework,” says Strategic Designer Molly Balcom Raleigh.

“When you have a lack of benefits or an extreme work overload, a lack of a sense of autonomy or are missing some key capacity and skills, things start to go out of balance, and it leads to poor outcomes for the well-being of those participating in that work.”        

Frameworks for discussing burnout are a helpful way to map patterns in the sports world, as volunteers take on more without adequate resources and, on occasion, find themselves in situations they lack the training to address or the resources to support.  

"Critically, it's in this gap where the demands of funders and regulators are high and volunteer skill, resources, and time are low that the greatest risk and damage emerge,” said Dr. Augie Westhaver, Academic Director at the Scott McCain & Leslie McLean Centre for Sport, Business and Health. “The sport system is effectively a para-health sector—where mental and physical health are key resources for all involved—and without adequate support, volunteers suffer burnout or worse, undermining the safety of the sport system."

The Impact to Come 

The SERVE project is in its early stages, having just launched in April 2026, but the future impact of this work is profound, as understanding the volunteer infrastructure of Canadian sport will pave the way to healthier volunteers, increasing recruitment and retention for the organizations that rely on them.  

This work also lays the foundation for an actionable toolkit for sporting organizations, ensuring volunteers have the resources, training and support they need to do their best work. A healthy sports and recreation infrastructure leads to stronger, healthier, and more connected communities; and Saint Mary’s is primed to be involved in the initial stages of a very necessary exploration.  

Stay tuned to the centre’s social media for live updates as the project unfolds. 

Meet your FGSR Valedictorian for Spring Convocation

Dhanushki Thilini de Tissera Anthony

Dhanushki Thilini de Tissera Anthony 

International Master of Teaching English - Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research 

Dhanushki was born and raised in the beautiful island of Sri Lanka and has since had the privilege of living in five different countries, an experience that profoundly shaped her worldview and inspired her passion for language, cultural diversity, and the power of communication.

As there could be no better place than Canada to fulfill Dhanushki’s calling to work with diverse communities, she moved to Halifax two years ago to pursue the International Master of Teaching English (IMTE) at Saint Mary’s University.

During these two years, she had the opportunity to volunteer with ISANS and United for Literacy, working with immigrants from diverse backgrounds and providing them with language support to help them integrate into Canadian society. 

Balancing full-time graduate studies while working part-time, volunteering, and raising two children has been one of the most demanding yet rewarding chapters of her life. Juggling these responsibilities required resilience, discipline and sacrifice, but it also strengthened her determination and deepened her appreciation for perseverance.  

Dhanushki’s teaching journey has extended both nationally and internationally, across literacy to academic English. She is currently working as an EAL Instructor with ISANS, and with United for Literacy, and as an on-call instructor with Dalhousie University, where she has the privilege of supporting newcomers and multilingual learners through equitable and learner-centred education. Grounded in a deep commitment to inclusive practices and plurilingual pedagogy, Dhanushki strives to create learning environments where every learner feels seen, valued, and empowered. 

Dhanushki will graduate on Tuesday, May 26, from the Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research. Watch the graduation livestream and find the convocation program on our website.

---

Q&A with Dhanushki

What is your educational background?

I have a Master of Arts in Psychology, an MBA in Human Resources, a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and CELTA Certification (Pass A), TESL Canada, OCELT, and TEFL (Level 5).

Why did you choose Saint Mary’s University? 

I was first and foremost attracted to the IMTE syllabus and the pictures of SMU looked inviting. As I read more about Saint Mary’s University, I loved its inclusivity and diversity and wanted to be a part of it. 

What was your favourite class? 

My favourite classes were Curriculum Design and the teaching practicum. 

Which instructor had the biggest impact on you? 

All instructors at IMTE had a profound impact on my learning and growth. I greatly admired the teaching approach of Julian L’Enfant, as it reflected the kind of educator I aspire to become 

Did you or do you currently volunteer with any organizations? 

Yes, I volunteered at ISANS as an EAL tutor, I taught a literacy group class for seniors and 1-1 tutoring, and I volunteered at United for Literacy as an ESL tutor. 

Do you have a favourite space on campus? 

Tim Hortons!

IMTE class

Looking back, what was your favourite SMU memory? 

Having breakfast as a class on Tuesdays in the Students Centre and our first outing (a picnic) as a class in Point Pleasant Park.

What will you miss about Saint Mary’s? 

My classmates. We came from different countries, different backgrounds and different ages, but we were able to build a community and support each other through this program. 

What are your goals for the future?  

To provide language support to immigrants and International Students to help them integrate into the Canadian society and fulfil their dreams.  

What advice would you give to current students? 

One piece of advice would be to complete your assignments on time. Don’t procrastinate too much, as your work will quickly pile up and overwhelm you. Connect with your peers, as they are going to be your support system throughout the program! 

TRIUMF triumph: Two Saint Mary’s science students awarded prestigious fellowships

Two Saint Mary’s University science students, Tehya Mohammed and Clara Wrightman-Dillon, will be travelling to Vancouver this summer for the Richard E. Azuma Summer Fellowships at TRIUMF, Canada’s particle accelerator centre.

Only two of these prestigious fellowships are awarded each year to students from TRIUMF’s 21 member universities across Canada, making it extra special that both students will be representing SMU.

The fellowships support promising Canadian undergraduate students in pursuing careers in TRIUMF’s research fields, including accelerator science and technology, detectors and instrumentation, life sciences, molecular and materials science, particle, nuclear, and theoretical physics, and scientific computing.

“Watching students succeed is the greatest reward for an educator. Having two SMU stu-dents win the only two fellowships at TRIUMF, and knowing that they competed against students from much larger institutions makes this a very proud moment.” says Dr. Sam Veres, Dean of Science. “These wins are a testament to Tehya and Clara’s dedication to their studies, and the exceptional education that our faculty and staff in the Department of As-tronomy and Physics provide.” 

Tehya Mohammed

Tehya Mohammed, from East Preston, N.S., just completed her third year of a BSc in Physics with an honours in Chemistry. She is excited to start working on a research project titled “Antimatter Physics with the ALPHA Collaboration” with Dr. Makoto Fujiwara at TRIUMF and at the CERN scientific research laboratory in Switzerland.

When she graduates in spring 2027, Tehya plans to attend graduate school; longer-term goals may see her staying in academia, teaching and doing research, and she credits her experience at Saint Mary’s with helping her land the fellowship this summer.

“I’m grateful for the experiences I’ve had at Saint Mary’s,” says Tehya. “I was able to do research with my professors each summer starting after my first year. There are more opportunities available to undergraduate students at smaller schools like SMU.”

Chemistry professor Dr. Christa Brosseau is Tehya’s honours supervisor; she also worked with Dr. Rob Singer in chemistry, publishing a paper with him. She credits these experiences with helping to round out her resume for the fellowship.

Clara Wrightman-Dillon

Clara Wrightman-Dillon, a physics major from St. Andrews, N.B., will be working with Dr. Adam Garnsworthy and researchers at the University of York. Their project, titled “Decoherence of Quantum Entangled Photons,” will involve the collection, sorting and analysis of data for research that could affect PET medical imaging.

This won’t be Clara’s first visit to TRIUMF; she was there last year thanks to her work alongside Dr. Greg Christian, a professor in the Department of Astronomy and Physics at Saint Mary’s.

After graduating from Saint Mary’s, Clara intends to pursue a Master of Science in physics.

Tehya and Clara have both spent the previous two summers at Saint Mary’s conducting research with their professors in positions funded by the Natural Science and Engineering Research Council (NSERC)’s Undergraduate Student Research Awards program and the Faculty of Science at Saint Mary’s.

The paid, four-month fellowship includes travel and a week's stay at TRIUMF House, a “home away from home for TRIUMF’s national and international visitors”. When fellowship winners complete their undergraduate degrees, a $5,000 scholarship is available to any of the 21 TRIUMF schools in Canada.

---

Meson Hall at TRIUMF. Credit: triumf.ca

About TRIUMF

Established in 1968 in Vancouver, TRIUMF is Canada’s particle accelerator centre. The lab is a hub for discovery and innovation inspired by a half-century of ingenuity in answering nature’s most challenging questions.

From the hunt for the smallest particles in our universe to research that advances the next generation of batteries or develops isotopes to diagnose and treat disease, TRIUMF drives more than scientific discovery. Powered by its complement of top talent and advanced accelerator infrastructure, TRIUMF is pushing the frontiers in isotope science and innovation, as well as technologies to address fundamental and applied problems in particle and nuclear physics, and the materials and life sciences. 

Worlds colliding: Accounting, Science & Arts Interdisciplinary Colloquium

The interdisciplinary forum was held at the Sobey School of Business on April 10

Faculty and researchers gathered to hear from each other and share ideas

If you are an applied science researcher looking for solutions to combat environmental problems like, say, innovative ways to remediate legacy gold mining waste materials, the accounting standard for contaminated sites might not be on your go-to list of tools and methods.

But it could be.

This was the bold premise behind an innovative interdisciplinary event held at Saint Mary’s on April 10, 2026.  Researchers from Saint Mary’s Arts and Science Faculties were invited to share a piece of research they are working on. Professors of Geography, Environmental Science, Engineering and Astronomy and Physics took part: Linda Campbell, Valeria Montes Urrego, Karen Harper, and Athanasios Psaltis.

A team from the Accounting department of the Sobey School of Business then reflected on what methods, approaches and tools academic accounting might offer on the same project. These professors included organizers Vasiliki Athanasakou, Matthew Boland, Amna Chalwati Mohamed Drira, and Ming Liu, as well as Khin Phyo Hlaing.

Innovative insights presented

In the popular imagination, “accountant” is often positioned as an opposite to “creative”, but the presentations required enormous creativity. The event gleaned rich insights, as organizer Dr. Vasiliki Athanasakou pointed out:

“In particular, the vital role of accounting and disclosure in supporting remediation and more complete recognition of environmental liabilities; the importance of accounting and taxation in enabling the economic viability of innovative environmental solutions; the remarkable wealth of natural capital data that remains underexplored in reassessing ecosystem value; and the need to embrace a mix of methods to strengthen the external validity of complex, interdisciplinary phenomena.”

There is a certain kind of power in hearing an accountant speak about the real market values of biodiversity and its effects on GDP worldwide in conjunction with the scientist pointing out the value to the ecosystem.

Panelists call for stable funding and dialogue

The lunchtime fireside discussion engaged practitioners and academics who drilled into the real barriers of tackling long-term problems with evidence-based and practitioner-informed solutions. Panelists expressed frustrations with isolated policy development and implementation while ignoring the experience of practitioners. The gap can lead to unintended consequences or simply policy failure. For their part, researchers recognized the value of the findings brought by application. All agreed that unstable funding did not support long term outcomes.

Dr. Athanasakou noted, “The fireside discussion further emphasized the importance of clarity and certainty in investment projections as a key condition for translating evidence into action; the growing need to bring together scientists, companies, investor representatives and policymakers into shared dialogues; the central role of trust and governance in making those dialogues meaningful; and the importance of policy and governance consistency in supporting sustainable, long-term decision-making.”

Panelists were:

• Adel Merabet, Professor of Engineering, SMU

• Danika van Proosdij, Geomorphologist and Professor of Geography and Environmental Studies, SMU

• Timothy Bachiu, Director of Research at Net Zero Atlantic

• Donald G. LeBlanc, President of RDA Atlantic

• Rob Rashotte, President, Global Training and Education, Cato Networks and student in the Sobey Executive Doctorate of Business Administration program.

• Duncan P. Williams, President & CEO at Construction Association of Nova Scotia

Sparking new creative collisions

Interdisciplinary approaches really shine in an intimate community like Saint Mary's University. The day concluded with a cross-project discussion on opportunities for future research with doctoral students, which was also attended by a dual-credit co-op class of high school students. Interdisciplinary, intergenerational and reflecting a commitment to innovative ways to solve real-world problems.

The Accounting, Science and Arts Interdisciplinary Colloquium was, in many ways, a perfect distillation of the Saint Mary’s University promise of a world without limits.