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Meet our team

Dr. Marty Leonard, the Dean of Graduate Studies is standing in a hallway wearing a blue top with matching glasses and earrings.

Message from the Dean

While you may be a master’s or doctoral student studying with one of the many departments across Dalhousie’s four campuses, you are a Faculty of Graduate Studies (FGS) student. We are here to support and encourage you along every step of your program. Think of our team as a travelling companion on this exciting journey. When you don’t know which way to go, just ask. We’ll help point you in the right direction.

– Dean Marty Leonard, Faculty of Graduate Studies


Senior team

Marty Leonard, Dean
grad.dean@dal.ca

Adam Donaldson, Associate Dean Scholarships and Programs
adam.donaldson@dal.ca

  • Scholarships
  • New programs
  • Program modification
  • Curriculum issues
  • Program reviews

Valerie Chappe, Associate Dean Students and Postdoctoral Fellows
valerie.chappe@dal.ca

  • Appeals
  • Academic integrity
  • Postdoctoral fellows
  • Thesis and defence
  • Student and faculty issues

Estelle Joubert, Assistant Dean, PhD Strategy
estelle.joubert@dal.ca


Staff

Admissions and programs

Tasha-Lynn Baxter, Senior Manager, Academic Regulations and Student Services
tashalynn.baxter@dal.ca
902-707-4305

  • Leads the FGS student service team
  • Strategic planning for enrolment and retention
  • Academic regulations management

Margaret Mulrooney, Acting Manager, Graduate Degree Progression and Completion
fgs.convocation@dal.ca
902-707-4303

  • Oversees graduate student program requirements and degree audits
  • Compiles and verifies convocation lists

Dennis Cheng, Graduate Applications Coordinator
fgsapplications@dal.ca
902-706-3940

  • Oversees processing of admission application files
  • Oversees processing of VGRS applications
  • Electronic reference processing and support

Nicole Fraser, Program Officer
program.officer@dal.ca
902-707-4299

  • Manages graduate program processes and procedures
  • Oversees graduate student progress reports and program changes

Lori Lawton, Academic Planning and Quality Manager
fgs.curriculum@dal.ca
902-707-4285

  • Manages academic quality assurance activities and projects
  • Oversees graduate program proposal and review processes
  • Manages Graduate Academic Calendar
  • Coordinates Governance Committees

Elizabeth Gillis, Graduate Program & Curriculum Advisor
elizabeth.gillis@dal.ca

  • Supports graduate program proposal and review processes

Archana Sadana, Graduate Admissions Clerk
fgsapplications@dal.ca
902-707-4291

  • Supports processing of admission application files
  • Electronic reference processing and support

Vicki Sullivan, Admissions Liaison Officer
vicki.sullivan@dal.ca
902-800-1740

  • Leads the Graduate Application team
  • Provides admission policies, requirements, procedures, education and support

Shan Li, Grad Student Services Clerk 
gradstudentservices@dal.ca
902-706-3661

  • Program and student services support

Ruiting Lyu, Grad Student Services Clerk
gradstudentservices@dal.ca
902-703-6861

  • Program and student services support
  • Manages FGS Membership

Scholarships and funding

Niki Power, Scholarships Liaison Officer
fgs.slo@dal.ca
902-707-4301

  • Liaison Officer and scholarship administration for NSERC, SSHRC and CIHR
  • Administers major scholarship competitions, pre and post-award
  • Dalhousie’s liaison with Killam Administrator
  • Administers Killam and Banting Postdoctoral Fellowship competitions
  • Post-award administration for Postdoctoral Fellow Scholars

Mary Anne Dib, Funding and Awards Coordinator
fundingawardscoordinator@dal.ca
902-707-4290

  • Oversees departmental FGS allocation process and regulation enforcement
  • Administers prize, bursary and award competitions
  • Acts as a student advocate for scholarship payment issues and concerns

Andrea Wheeler-Wade, Graduate Student Payment Specialist
gradfunding@dal.ca
902-706-7902

  • Coordinates FGS scholarship allocation process
  • Administers graduate student payments
  • Provides information to departments and students concerning scholarship funding

Fernando Cunha Neto, Finance and Awards Assistant
financial.coordinator@dal.ca
902-706-3659

  • Graduate Student Conference Travel Grants
  • Scholarship competition assistance
  • Financial clerk duties (invoices, SARs, journal entries)

Thesis and defence

Helena Martel, Senior Thesis Clerk
thesis@dal.ca
902-703-6898

  • Provides information on all matters related to thesis preparation
  • Coordinates thesis submissions
  • Arranges doctoral defences 

Office Administration

Trisha Estabrooks, HR and Office Administrator
fgs.administrator@dal.ca
902-707-4300

  • Human Resources
  • Assistant to the Deans
  • Operational Planning

Riho Dimmer, Receptionist
graduate.studies@dal.ca
902-494-2485

  • Phone, email and walk-in reception
  • Track incoming grad-related forms and documents (departmental forms to be sent to FGSDeptForms@dal.ca)

Stephanie Theriault, Budget Officer
stephanie.theriault@dal.ca
902-707-4304

  • Finance
  • Operating and scholarship budgets
  • Annual Killam Event organizer

Patricia Figueredo Porras, Manager, Graduate Student Systems
gradrequests@dal.ca

  • Support and manage FGS propriety systems
  • Represent the Faculty of Graduate Studies in the implementation of new projects/functionality and upgrades related to FGS systems
  • Oversee IT Coordinator role

Sarah Berrigan, Business Analyst (GSIS Project)
sarah.berrigan@dal.ca (for convocation inquiries, email fgs.convocation@dal.ca)
902-707-4303

  • Oversees graduate student program requirements and degree audits
  • Compiles and verifies convocation lists

Mirazul Islam, Acting IT Coordinator
gradrequests@dal.ca

  • Support Departments and FGS with data requests

Marketing, communications and student engagement

Kala Clarke, Director, Professional Development and Student Engagement
902-707-4286 

  • Manages student experience portfolio
  • Oversees Dal GradPD, Together@Dal: Grad Edition orientation, and Three Minute Thesis (3MT)
  • Assessment and evaluation of professional development activities

Shirin Shaikh, Program Coordinator - BIPOC Graduate Student Mentoring Academy
shirin.shaikh@dal.ca
902-431-0524

  • Coordinate all finances and budgets for the BIPOC program.
  • Recruit and match up mentors and mentees for the BIPOC program.
  • Engage stakeholders for feedback to strengthen the BIPOC program.

Mim Mohsin, Student Engagement Clerk
For Three Minute Thesis inquiries, email ThreeMT@dal.ca
For professional development inquiries, email GradPD@dal.ca
For Together@Dal: Grad Edition inquiries, email TogetherGrad@dal.ca
902-706-7587

  • Professional development and student engagement support

Joshua Boyter, Manager, Strategy and Communications
josh.boyter@dal.ca
902-800-1786

  • Oversees communication activities
  • Develops marketing strategy
  • Manages promotional plans for initiatives and projects

Mia Samardzic, Communications Coordinator
mia.samardzic@dal.ca
902-706-7252

  • Manages social media channels
  • Coordinates web updates
  • Creates and deploys email marketing, including a weekly newsletter

Interdisciplinary PhD program (IDPhD)

Peter Tyedmers, IDPhD Director
peter.tyedmers@dal.ca

Emma Zang, IDPhD Graduate Secretary
idphd@dal.ca
902-706-7909


Our website and SharePoint site (login required) are the best places to start with questions or requests. Given the hybrid working arrangements, virtual meetings continue to be the most efficient. We encourage anyone looking to meet with one of our staff members to first contact graduate.studies@dal.ca with your request. 

Email:    graduate.studies@dal.ca

Phone:    902-494-2845

Operating Hours:    Monday to Friday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. (closed daily from 12–1 p.m.)

Address:     Faculty of Graduate Studies, Dalhousie University
                     Room 314, Henry Hicks Academic Administration Building
                     6283 Alumni Crescent
                     PO BOX 15000
                     Halifax, NS, Canada, B2H 4R2