Contact Research & Innovation

NOTICE: The Research Administration team will be working in a blended working environment and will not always be available on campus. Please reach out to the individual you would like to contact for their schedule.
 
General Email:
Office of Research Services (ORS) | ors@kpu.ca
Office Locations:
Surrey Main Campus Fir Building Room 115
Langley Campus, West Building Room 2204
Richmond Campus, Room 2320

Connect with us!

Deepak S. Gupta, D. Sc., P. Eng.
Associate Vice President for Research and Innovation

Deepak has led research, innovation, productivity, and entrepreneurial initiatives over an impactful career involving five academic institutions and four businesses. He has more than a dozen awards and honours for his contributions as a distinguished leader, engineering researcher, and published scholar. A global citizen, he has lived in ten provinces or states and speaks four languages.

Deepak received his engineering doctorate from Washington University in St. Louis. He has a Bachelor of Technology (Honors) degree from the Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur, India.

604 598 8827 | deepak.gupta@kpu.ca

Mariko Itano, BA  
Confidential Assistant

Mariko is an administrative professional with 7+ years of experience working in the post-secondary education industry. She moved to Canada 13 years ago from Japan and has a B.A. in Psychology from SFU. As a confidential assistant, Mariko supports the day-to-day administrative functions of the office and ensures its smooth operation. Mariko thrives in performing complex administrative duties and enjoys helping others in need.

604 599 2496| mariko.itano@kpu.ca

 

Amit Shukla, PhD
Director, Research, Innovation, Scholarship and Entrepreneurship Services (RISES)

Amit is an experienced administrator and program manager with over 15 years of experience in the U15 post-secondary environment in Canada, along with a strong research background as a scientist with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada. He has extensive experience and knowledge of the full research continuum (lab research, project management, research administration, technology transfer, innovation and entrepreneurship). Since moving to BC in Fall 2020, Amit has been working as an Executive-in-Residence with the Foresight CleanTech Accelerator supporting start-ups within the AgTech space with their business development. As the Director Research, Innovation, Scholarship and Entrepreneurship Services (RISES), Amit is responsible for research administration services including managing institutional grants, internal funding competitions, and business/partnership development.

306 717 3880 | amit.shukla@kpu.ca

Catherine (Cathy) Parlee
Research ​Services Specialist

Catherine (Cathy) Parlee is the Research Services Specialist in the Office of Research Services (ORS).  Cathy recently earned a Research Administration Certificate at Mohawk College which, paired with her 14-year tenure in the ORS, contributes to a growing knowledge of research matters that includes many aspects of pre and post funding management. Learning, listening and understanding serve Cathy well as she strives to provide a positive customer experience for the KPU community and outside partners who come to the ORS with questions or in need of assistance.

604 599 3028 | catherine.parlee@kpu.ca

Keith Leung, PhD
Research Facilitator

Keith Leung has over nine years of experience in conducting humanities and social science research. He has managed multiple SSHRC and NSERC-funded research projects and collaborated extensively with researchers in Canada and abroad. He is experienced in research writing and has published extensively. As a Research Facilitator, he works with research active scholars to help establish research agendas and build scholarly portfolios, support research clusters, and design and facilitate creative approaches and knowledge mobilization strategies to promote KPU research and scholarly activity.

604 599 2237  | keith.leung3@kpu.ca

Jackie Au, BBA, MSc
Research Administration and Services Manager

Jackie is a seasoned tertiary education administrator with profound experience in research grant administration, academic services, program administration, project management, financial management as well as budget planning. Over the past two decades Jackie has held various administrative positions in the tertiary education sector in Hong Kong. As the Research Administration and Services Manager, Jackie is responsible for leading or co-leading university-wide research operations, research finance, and research risk management. She also provides strategic business leadership and oversees administration of research programs and project management. 

Taranum Sultana, PhD 
Research Compliance Manager

Taranum has more than 17 years of experience in teaching, research, and management at renowned institutions in Asia, Europe, and North America. She possesses expertise in biochemistry, molecular endocrinology, microbiology, and has nine years of experience in research management at post-secondary institutes. As the Research Compliance Manager at KPU, Taranum is responsible for ensuring the university's compliance with all research-related compliance regulations and requirements of municipal, provincial, and federal departments and agencies, as well as major research sponsors. She provides administrative oversight and expertise on themes such as responsible conduct of research, human research ethics, ethical use of animals in teaching and research, and EDI (equity, diversity, inclusion, and decolonization). Taranum also leads the Indigenous research support initiative and provides research training resources for the KPU community. Additionally, she is responsible for overseeing regulatory compliance for cannabis research, field research licenses, permits, radioactive materials, food and drugs, and other compliance matters. 

604 598 5212 | taranum.sultana@kpu.ca

Apostolos Paul Zimeras
Marketing and Communications Coordinator

Apostolos is a KPU Alumni with a BA in Philosophy. His career journey has generally always involved research and writing, such as ghostwriting books and being a research assistant with UBC School of Nursing, which he is proud to say led to a mention in the 2011 Journal of Pain. He ran a copywriting business and spent considerable time at a Marketing and Branding Agency. Apostolos' roles there evolved from copywriter / content writer, SEO, events management, web development, automation, and, eventually, technical program management. Outside of work, Apostolos is fascinated by generative AI, particularly the limits and uses of models like Chat GPT. Whether it's for philosophical conversations or finding ways to simplify and streamline tasks, it's an exciting time to be alive. Apostolos looks forward to working with and learning from everyone at KPU.

604 598 5270 | apostolos.zimeras@kpu.ca

Foluso Fagbamiye, B.Sc, MBA, PgDip. Project Management 
Research Ethics Coordinator

Foluso Fagbamiye has worked in various roles at three BC post-secondary institutions over the last sixteen years. As the Research Ethics Coordinator, she is the primary resource for all employees and students who liaise with the Research Ethics board (REB). Her expertise interpreting and applying policies and ethical requirements helps ensure that KPU is compliant with commitments and obligations under the Tri-Council Policy Statement 2 (TCPS2 2018) on use of humans in research. Foluso worked internationally as a micro-paleontologist, in market research and public relations. She has a Bachelor of Science in Geology, Master's in Business Administration and post graduate certificate in Project Management.

604 599 3163 | reb@kpu.ca | foluso.fagbamiye@kpu.ca

Animal Care

Kate Cooper RVT, CAPM

Animal Care Coordinator

Kate is a Registered Veterinary Technologist and a Certified Associate in Project Management with experience working in a variety of fields including wildlife rehabilitation, laboratory diagnostics, aquatics, agriculture and research.

As the Animal Care Coordinator at KPU, Kate is responsible for supporting the functioning of the Animal Care Committee by providing administrative support for protocol management, pedagogical and scientific merit review as well as by acting as a liaison between protocol authors, the Animal Care Committee, senior administration and other stakeholders.

acc@kpu.ca | kate.cooper@kpu.ca

Institute for Food Systems (ISFS)

Dr. Kent Mullnix

Director
Richmond Campus | Main Building | R3420

kent.mullinix@kpu.ca

Institute for Sustainable Horticulture (ISFS)

Dr. Deborah Henderson

Director & Leef Innovation Chair
Langley Campus | ISH Building | L1165

deborah.henderson@kpu.ca

Advanced Genomics Centre (AGC)

Dr. Paul Adams

Director
Langley Campus | ISH Building | L1165

paul.adams@kpu.ca