This past month has brought a number of exciting changes within Niagara College’s Research & Innovation division in the form of new roles and expanded portfolios for three senior members of the administration team.
Marc Nantel, PhD, has been named Niagara College’s vice-president, Research & External Relations. In addition to his ongoing leadership of the Research & Innovation division, Marc is now in charge of the following divisions: Planning and Institutional Research, Development and Alumni Relations, and Government and Community Relations.
He also assumed the role of president of the Niagara College Learning Enterprises Corporation (NCLEC), which includes overseeing the operations and strategic direction for the Niagara College Teaching Winery, Teaching Brewery, Teaching Cidery, Teaching Distillery, and Cannabis Institute.
Marc joined the College in 2011, after serving on the Board of Governors (2006-11), and drawing on his background in physics to helped establish the Photonics program in 1999 – 2009 at the Welland Campus. He spent almost eight years as associate vice-president, Research & Innovation and, most recently, vice-president, Research, Innovation & Strategic Initiatives.
Krystle Grimaldi moves to the role of director, Research & Innovation, to take on leadership of the day-to-day operational performance and internal processes, including administration and project management of all research activities. Since coming onboard the R&I team in 2010, Krystle has held a number of management positions, most recently as associate director, Research & Innovation.
Carolyn Mullin is named associate director, Strategic Partnerships, a position that, in addition to her business development and research-based communications role, expands her responsibilities to include overseeing grant development; and for developing external partnerships and networking opportunities for the division, including the Southern Ontario Network for Advanced Manufacturing Innovation (SONAMI) and the Greenhouse Technology Network (GTN).
Joining NC in 2012, Carolyn held the position of Dissemination and Outreach manager, and more recently, manager, Business Development & Strategic Partnerships.
“Certainly, this is happening at an interesting time, and I look forward to bringing my experience to this portfolio and learning a whole lot along the way,” says Marc. “To support this growth and diversification in my responsibilities, I’m very happy to be able to count on Krystle’s leadership and management acumen, and Carolyn’s deep experience in all things external.”
Krystle points to the team effort that earned Niagara College being tops in the country for research funding. According to Research Infosource Inc.’s 2019 report, the College was named No. 1 research college, making it the fifth year of being in the Top 10.
“I have great confidence in the team to achieve many more successes and I look forward to working with this talented group as we take on more industry projects and train more students,” says Krystle.
“Likewise, I’m proud of how far our division has come in the past few years, and of the beneficial partnerships we have built with industry. We are poised to keep growing, and I have the privilege of being able to share those successes with this accomplished team, and helping build even more great relationships with strategic partners in Niagara and beyond,” adds Carolyn.
The Research & Innovation division provides real-world solutions for business, key industry sectors, and the community through applied research and knowledge transfer activities. Researchers conduct projects that provide innovative solutions, such as producing and testing prototypes, evaluating new technologies, and developing new or improved products or processes for small- and medium-sized businesses and community partners. With funding support from various regional, provincial and federal agencies, students and graduates are hired to work alongside faculty researchers to assist industry and community partners leap forward in the marketplace.
