A new Research Chair program established by the university's Board of Governors will recognize two faculty members each year who have demonstrated exceptional scholarly distinction. These appointments are intended to contribute to building the MacEwan's research culture, and will assist faculty members in further developing their capacity to produce internationally recognized scholarly or creative activity.
"Research chairs are role models who are leaders in their field of expertise, stimulate growth in research enterprise and are dedicated to the training of the next generation of highly qualified personnel," says Cynthia Zutter, associate vice-president, Research and Teaching.
The first two faculty members to take on the role of research chairs are Dr. Sandy Jung, associate professor, Department of Psychology; and Dr. Samuel Mugo, associate professor, analytical chemistry, Department of Physical Sciences.
Both Sandy and Sam will contribute to the advancement of the university's research strategic plan, and have a reduced teaching load to allow them to spend more time on their research programs.
Dr. Sandy Jung
Sandy's research program focuses on the prevention of sexual assault, child sexual exploitation and intimate partner violence. Sandy received the university's Distinguished Teaching Award in 2017, and is the recipient of MacEwan's 2018 Distinguished Research Award. Before joining the university in 2007, Sandy was a forensic psychologist and provided assessment, treatment, and risk management of violent and sexual offenders.
Dr. Samuel Mugo
Sam's research aims to bring analytical chemistry to the masses and is supported by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC). His work focuses on integrating multi-responsive polymer nanomaterials as molecular receptors for fabrication of 3D-printed, inexpensive and portable chemical sensors. These sensors could be used for precision monitoring in agriculture and environmental applications, and non-invasive wearables for health/wellness applications.
