Maria Thistle is the new Director of Research Services at Mount Allison University, helping to support the vibrant research culture on campus. Thistle will begin in her new role on December 17, 2018.

Thistle will oversee the Office of Research Services, which works with the Office of the Provost and Vice-President, Academic and Research and the Academic Deans to provide support to Mount Allison faculty and student researchers across all disciplines.

“Maria is an accomplished researcher and has worked in a number of roles that directly support students, faculty, and staff members at universities across Canada, including Mount Allison,” says Dr. Jeff Ollerhead, University Provost and Vice-President, Academic and Research. “I am pleased to welcome her to this new role at the University and I look forward to working with her to advance and support Mount Allison’s research and creative arts community.”

A trained biologist, Thistle holds a Bachelor and Master of Science from Memorial University and has worked as a field and lab researcher for Fisheries and Oceans Canada as well as in labs at Memorial University, the University of Alberta, and Mount Allison. She has also worked in several areas of Mount Allison’s Student Affairs department, working closely with faculty and staff and assisting students.

“I have always viewed research and creative pursuits as a central and fundamental pillar of a university’s mandate. I became interested in a career in research services through my own work as a researcher and facilitator, and am excited for this new opportunity at Mount Allison” says Thistle. “I look forward to working with faculty and students in this new role and helping to build on Mount Allison’s excellent reputation in the areas of research and creative activities.”

Mount Allison’s Office of Research Services provides services to researchers across campus, including assistance with the preparation of individual and university funding applications for research projects to provincial and federal departments or agencies; aiding students with graduate scholarship funding applications; and supporting the work of the University’s research ethics board, the animal care committee, the research and creative activities committee, as well as activities related to technology transfer and commercialization of research.

Since 2015, Mount Allison has averaged over $4.2-million of external research funding annually. This support in part provides students with opportunities to work with faculty on various research and creative arts projects, giving them first-hand research experience as part of their undergraduate education. In 2018, through the Office of Research Services, the University administered 264 research grants from various funding agencies to researchers across campus, equating to nearly $5-million (mta.ca/researchoffice).