Our Location

Our Team

Alison Pryer - Foundation Grants Development
Burdena M. Shea - CIHR/Health Team Proposals
Christy McTait - CIHR/Health Open Operating Grants, NI, HSF, etc.
David Woods - NSERC Partnerships - Strategic Project Grants, CRDs, IRCs, NCEs, etc.
Donald E. Brooks - Director
Jacqueline Smit - International Teams
Nicole Bennett - Natural Sciences and Engineering - NSERC DG
Vacant - Social Science and Humanities - SSHRC Insight and Team Proposals

Burdena M. Shea, Associate Director
E: burdena.shea@ubc.ca P: 604.822.9955

Burdena provides strategic leadership, project management, interdisciplinary team development, brokering of partnerships, budgeting advice, and workshops and symposia to create successful interdisciplinary collaborative research teams. Prior to joining SPARC, Burdena was a Technology Transfer Manager with UBC’s University-Industry Liaison Office (UILO).

Previously, she worked as a Senior Scientist at GlaxoSmithKline (London, UK) focused on developing new classes of antibiotics with novel modes of activity against multidrug-resistant bacteria. Burdena has also sat on a number of boards including the Society of Canadian Women in Science and Technology where she was appointed the Vice-President, Grants (2007/08). Burdena holds a Postgraduate Diploma of Accounting (Sauder School of Business, UBC) Masters in Management Studies (South Bank University) and Bachelor of Science (Microbiology) from UBC.

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Donald E. Brooks, PhD, Director
E: don.brooks@ubc.ca P: 604.822.3331

Don plays a leading role in building UBC's research capacity and competitiveness. He assists faculty to take full advantage of new funding initiatives and also promotes and co-ordinates interdisciplinary research. Don is a professor of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine and Chemistry. An alumnus who joined UBC in 1974, Don's areas of research are biomaterials, microgravity biotechnology, development of blood plasma substitutes and immunodiagnostic techniques.

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Christy McTait, Senior Internal Review Officer (CIHR and Health-Related)
E: christy.mctait@ubc.ca P: 604.827.5615

Christy manages the SPARC health portfolio of the Internal Review Program (e.g., CIHR Operating Grant, CDA, HSF). Also, she coordinates CIHR strategic grant writing workshops (e.g., Open Operating Grant, New Investigator Salary Award, KT Supplement Grants, etc.) and works one-on-one with new researchers who have just joined the UBC research community. Christy was one of the founders of the Grant Facilitation website and a member of UBC's Grant Facilitation Network. Prior to joining SPARC, Christy worked in change management and strategic planning in the health care sector. Christy received her Masters in Health Administration from UBC and Bachelor of Science from Queen’s University.

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Nicole Bennett, Internal Review Officer (Natural Sciences and Engineering)
E: nicole.bennett@ubc.ca P: 604.822.5386

Nicole manages the Internal Review Program for natural sciences and engineering funding programs (e.g., NSERC Discovery Grant Program) as well as hosts workshops specific to those funding opportunities. She works closely with new and established Faculty, as well as Grant and Research Facilitators within the faculties, towards improving grant success rates. Nicole has worked in a variety of educational, research and manufacturing institutions from the UBC Engineering Co-op Office to the Clean Energy Research Centre (UBC) to Johnson & Johnson (Ontario). Nicole received her Masters in Applied Science from UBC and Bachelor of Engineering from Guelph University.

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Alison Pryer, Manager of Foundation Grants Development
E: alison.pryer@ubc.ca P: 604.822.7971

Dr. Alison Pryer's responsibilities within the SPARC and the Corporate and Foundation Relations Unit at UBC include (1)identifying and prioritizing potential foundation partners; (2) coordinating the efforts of SPARC and the Corporate and Foundation Relations Unit in initiating, developing and reviewing major collaborative grant applications to national and international foundations; and (3) facilitating and coordinating the development and preparation of letters of intent and final applications for group, network and large research program grants, as well as fundraising initiatives.

Alison has many years of professional practice within university research communities, including experience as a research project manager and social science researcher. She has also taught in the Faculty of Education at UBC and the Department of English, Corpus Christi College, Vancouver. She holds a Masters of Arts (University of Glasgow, UK), a Bachelor of Education (University of Western Ontario), a Masters of Education (University of Western Ontario), and a Doctoral degree in Curriculum and Instruction (University of British Columbia).

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Jacqueline Smit, Senior Officer, International Research Initiatives
E: jacqueline.smit@ubc.ca P: 604.822.8136

Jacqueline is responsible for supporting the international research activities, including awards for international graduate student mobility and collaborative research workshops.She is also responsible for sourcing international research funding opportunities and providing consultation on the development of major international grant proposals. A UBC alumna, Jacqueline has served in a variety of research and management positions at UBC since 1996.

David Woods, Ph.D., Research Partnership Officer (Natural Sciences and Engineering)
E: david.woods@ubc.ca P: 604.822.8789

David consults on the development of major NSERC partnership funding including Strategic Project (and Network) Grants, Industrial Research Chairs and Collaborative Research and Development Grants. He works on helping to establish and manage productive relationships between Faculty and Industrial partners, and on optimizing their research and funding outcomes. David has a background in both research and industry, and has a substantial amount of experience working in international collaborations. David received his Ph.D. and Masters of Science from UBC, and Bachelor of Science from the University of Toronto.

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