For Michelle McGinn, the past seven and half years has been research in action.

The Professor of Educational Studies’ expertise is in research collaboration, researcher development, scholarly writing, mentorship and ethics in academic practice, all areas she covered as Associate Vice-President, Research (VPR) and Acting Vice-President, Research.

“Those are the things I study as a scholar,” says McGinn. “I’ve always tried to have my service obligations connect in some way to my teaching and my research commitments so I could be informed by synergies with my research program and practice.”

McGinn’s accomplishments – and the many ways she has lived out her scholarship during her time in the Office of the Vice-President, Research – will be celebrated at a reception taking place Wednesday, Dec. 17 at noon in RFP 302. The event is open to the entire Brock community.

McGinn is widely known for her leadership in creating Brock University’s Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Action Plan under the Canada Research Chairs Program.

She also steered the implementation of Brock’s Responsible Conduct of Research policy, provided key support for the development of in-house training programs, and worked with major provincial and federal research organizations and funding agencies to boost the University’s research funding.

“Michelle also has been a quiet source of mentorship and professional development for the leadership of every unit in the research enterprise,” says Vice-President, Research Tim Kenyon. “Every leader of those units has found a sympathetic ear and wise advice from Michelle.”

Particularly noteworthy for Kenyon is McGinn’s “extraordinary leadership” during the COVID-19 pandemic.

McGinn chaired the campus-wide Research Access Task Force, which created policies and practices to support students, faculty and staff through gradual and measured steps that expanded access to research facilities and sites with appropriate risk-mitigation measures.

“We ended up with a model, approach and key principles that were shared with other universities in Ontario, which shaped their responses to the pandemic,” says Kenyon. “Against this constantly shifting backdrop of public health guidelines, I don’t think anybody could have more ably co-ordinated the creative solutions that enabled the University to keep research facilities open while respecting its duty of care to students and its public health obligations.”

The path to the Office of the VPR was a natural progression for McGinn, who joined Brock’s Research Ethics Board (REB) in 2000 shortly after her arrival at Brock.

While serving as REB Chair, she oversaw the REB expanding to two Boards: one REB for social sciences and humanities research and another REB for health sciences research.

During her term as Associate Vice-President, Research, McGinn also contributed to understanding the experiences of researchers and research administrators.

As part of a team led by Sandra Acker, Professor Emerita at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education at the University of Toronto, McGinn and colleagues examined the challenges of undertaking social justice research with support from a Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council grant funded by the Government of Canada.

Through the project, McGinn got to know research administrators from across the province. That experience, along with a Certificate in Research Administration co-offered by the Canadian Association of Research Administrators and Mohawk College, shaped McGinn’s approach to research administration right from the early days of her interim VPR appointment in 2018.

Looking back, McGinn says she’s inspired by the growth of Brock’s Research Enterprise, both in staff numbers and capacities to deliver a range of services.

“What stands out for me are opportunities like our holiday gift exchange to connect with colleagues in a different way, to get to know people for who they are and how they can bring their full selves to the work role,” she says.

McGinn says she’s keen to apply what she’s learned in her AVPR and Acting VPR roles in her next chapter.

“This is such a fabulous team,” she says. “I’m excited to focus on my work as a researcher to know that I have the team’s support in a new way.”