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Eve Stringham appointed new Vice Provost, Research, and Graduate Studies

Following an extensive search, Provost W. Robert Wood is pleased to announce that Biology Professor and Canada Research Chair Eve Stringham, Ph.D., has been selected to fill the position of Vice Provost, Research, and Graduate Studies, effective August 16, 2013.

Stringham joined the Faculty of Natural and Applied Sciences at Trinity Western University in 1997.  She was the first faculty member at the University to be awarded a Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC) Discovery Grant (1999), and has occupied a Canada Research Chair (CRC) in Developmental Genetics and Disease since 2007. 

“The CRC has provided an infusion of resources for me and my lab,” said Stringham. “It allowed me to get a Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI) grant and purchase a high-resolution confocal microscope that has benefited several faculty and students in the Biology Department.” The combination of the CRC and the CFI helped her lab conduct high quality research, train several graduate and undergraduate students, and publish in high impact journals.

As Vice Provost, Research and Graduate Studies, Stringham will provide leadership in the advancement of faculty research and the Faculty of Graduate Studies at Trinity Western University.

“We have an opportunity to take our small size and faith-based perspective to build areas of research, scholarship, and corresponding graduate programs that are unique and that will contribute to a healthy society,” she said.

At Trinity Western, she developed a first-of-its-kind in Canada fourth-year cancer biology course that integrates the latest science with faith perspectives to examine the human side of cancer research, leading a growing trend in higher education to consider spirituality and health.

Stringham is looking forward to taking on the challenge of learning a new role, even though it means that she won’t be teaching undergraduate courses any more.  “Over the years I have had the privilege of guiding and witnessing the intellectual growth of so many students,” she said. “I’ve developed new courses and have infused my personal experience into them, so I must admit to feeling a tad reluctant to turn them over to another instructor. However, I also sense it’s time for a change, and it’s time for me to contribute to this wonderful institution in a new way.”

Her initial focus will be to promote a research culture on campus. “TWU has done a good job with passing knowledge onto students,” she said, “but if we are to grow and lead as a university we must place greater focus on the generation of new knowledge and innovations and involve our students in that process. My goal is to help every employee and student understand why this is important to the University's mission and purpose.”

In this effort, she has drafted two vision statements regarding TWU’s role in research and graduate education. She describes TWU being known as a centre of scholarly excellence “where discovery research, applied research, creative works, and faith integration produces new knowledge and innovation, in the service of God’s kingdom” and where graduate students will be “enriched by a holistic approach that integrates faith with discipline specialization, research, internships, and professional skills training to produce highly qualified graduates and leaders.”


Watch this video to learn more about Stringham's lab and research in developmental genetics and disease. Through studying C. Elegans worms, Eve Stringham, Ph.D., and student researcher Caitlyn Grypma’s work could lead to new drugs and therapies in the fight against cancer and diabetes in humans.