Research Committees

2025-2026 Research Policy Committee Membership

•    Vice-President, Research & Innovation – Holger Hintelmann (RPC Chair)
•    Chair of NSERC Research Grants Committee – Rachel Wortis
•    Chair of SSHRC Research Grants Committee – Kevin Peters
•    Chair of the Health Sciences/Studies Research Grants Committee – Amy Greer
•    Chair of Research Ethics Board – Blair Niblett
•    Faculty Member – Christopher Dummitt 
•    Faculty Member – Gyles Iannone
•    Faculty Member – Ian Power
•    Graduate Student – Jaz Raine
•    Undergraduate Student – TBD 
•    Senior Director, Office of Research & Innovation (non-voting) – Christopher Rooney
•    Office of Research & Innovation (non-voting) – Jamie Elcombe (RPC Admin)

2025-2026 Meeting Schedule

All meetings are Thursdays 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.

•    October 16, 2025
•    November 6, 2025
•    December 11, 2025
•    January 8, 2026
•    February 5, 2026
•    March 5, 2026
•    April 9, 2026
 

The Research Policy Committee (RPC) is a Senate committee that reports to both Senate and the vice-president, Research and Innovation. The RPC is mandated to:

• Develop and recommend policies and procedures to the Senate on all aspects of research;
• Receive reports from its subcommittees on the disbursement of research funds, matters concerning research with human subjects and recommendations for the distinguished research award; and
• Staff the standing Research Ethics Appeals Board, as necessary, to hear appeals from decisions of the Research Ethics Board in accordance with the Tri-Council Policy Statement on Ethical Conduct for Research Involving Human Subjects.

The 2025-26 REB Committee Membership

• Niblett Blair (Chair)
• Abdella Kenzu
• Conolly James
• Fitzmaurice Kevin
• McDermid Douglas
• Russell Elizabeth
• Smith Rhonda (Fall only)
• Uruthirapathy Aareni
• Wall Barbara
• Heather Klyn-Hesselink (PhD student representative)
• Linda Kehoe (Community Representative)
• Wesley Gray (Community Representative)

The 2025-26 Meeting Schedule

Policy for Research Involving Human Participants

The Research Ethics Board (REB) serves Trent’s research community as an independent ethics review board to ensure that all proposed or ongoing research involving human participants meets the highest ethical standards and that safeguards are implemented to provide the greatest protection to human participants and/or communities.

The REB contributes to the education of research ethics and conducts independent, multi-disciplinary reviews of research proposals. It also oversees the ethics reviews conducted by the faculty, department, school, and graduate program review bodies. The REB will advise the Senate and the Vice-President, Research and Innovation, on all matters of research involving human participants at Trent University.

The Research Ethics Board shall:

• Conduct ethics reviews of proposals from members of Trent University, and others who conduct research involving human participants at Trent, to determine conformance with the whole of the Tri-Council Policy Statement: “Ethical Conduct for Research Involving Human Subjects”, within the context of the University’s responsibility to ensure that research meets high scientific and scholarly standards;
• Delegate course-related, non-funded, minimal risk research to the relevant department, school or graduate program ethics review body for review and approval; and oversee that review process;
• Terminate any research that it considers to be threatening or causing distress to the participants, deviates from the approved protocol, or has not been approved by the appropriate body;
• Ensure that departments, schools, and graduate programs are familiar with, and adhere to the Trent University Senate Policy for Research Involving Human Participants;
• Act as an advisory body for the University, educating the community on ethics in research and providing guidance on the ethics review process;
• Report at least once a year to Senate on its activities, including a list of protocols reviewed and approved; and
• Ensure that departments advise students about the relevant aspects of ethics in research and the paramount need to treat participants ethically and respectfully.

Recruitment of External Research Ethics Board Member

The REB welcomes interested individuals to apply for membership as a community representative. Applicants should meet the following requirement to be considered:

• No affiliation with Trent University;
• Not involved in research as their means of employment;
• Experience as a participant in research (desirable).

Interested parties can send their curriculum vitae along with a covering letter outlining their interest and how they meet the criteria to Coordinator, Research Conduct and Reporting, Office of Research & Innovation.

Applicants whose research proposal is not approved by the Research Ethics Board or the relevant faculty, department, school or graduate program ethics review body, may appeal that decision to the Trent Research Ethics Board (EAB), which is an independent board of the Research Policy Committee. The decision of the EAB is final and binding on the principal investigator, subject to further procedures as may be provided through collective agreements. The EAB shall:

• Hear appeals from principal investigators whose research protocol has not been approved by the ethics review body or who objects to the terms and conditions imposed by the ethics review body; and
• Report annually to Senate on appeals heard and the disposition of those appeals, including a summary of the reasons given for its decision.

This committee is composed of:

• One faculty member with previous experience on the REB (chair);
• One other faculty member with previous experience on the REB;
• Chair (or designate) from the appellant's department; and
• Coordinator Research Conduct and Reporting (Secretary, non-voting): Anna Kisiala

Guidelines for Ethics Appeals

The 2025-26 ACC Membership

• Bates Holly (Chair)
• Allen Jason
• Beresford David
• Cole Jenn
• Fournier Neil
• Murray Craig
• Rogers Andrea
• Rudell Jenny
• Sikma Angela
• Tobin Stephanie
• Jill Henderson (Community Member)
• Jordan Webb (Graduate Student Member)
• Kyra Myderwyk (Undergraduate Student Member)

The 2025-26 Meeting Schedule

Terms of Reference for the Animal Care Committee 

NOTE: ALL active projects are required to submit an Annual Progress Report by December 31 for each calendar year the project is active.  The Annual Progress Report is available in the Events tab of the project file in ROMEO.

The Animal Care Committee (ACC) derives its authority from both Trent University and federal and provincial legislation, notably the Animals for Research Act (Ontario). As a result, in matters concerning animal regulations, the ACC is answerable to the University as well as government officials. As most of its activities have some bearing on animal care, it is often not possible (nor desirable) to determine where statutory authority and responsibility ends and University jurisdiction begins. The ACC is responsible to the vice-president, Research and Innovation and to the president. The animal care manager reports to the vice-president, Research and Innovation on matters related to their employment, and will work with the chair of the ACC and the VP on matters relating to Animal Care facility (ACF) management and the implementation of animal care policies.

The Animal Care Committee meets monthly between September and June inclusive.   Submissions aiming to be on an agenda should be received at least 3 weeks prior to ensure a positive peer review has been obtained.  The last date a protocol may be submitted for review before a July and August hiatus is the Friday of the first week of May.  Only unforeseen research opportunities and emergencies will be reviewed with interim approvals during the summer hiatus. 

The 2025-26 SSAC Membership

• Angela Sikma (Chair)
• Jason Allen
• Lori Van Belle
• Huy Dang
• Vedanti Ghatwala
• Lesley Nicole Hewett
• Anna Kisiala
• Daniel Matsushita
• Dillon Muldoon
• Raul Ponce-Hernandez
• Elyse Sawdon
• Science Facilities Coordinator (TBD)

The SSAC meets during the academic year on an as-needed basis. If you have any questions or comments, please consult the Bio-Safety and Radiation Safety website or contact the Manager of Science Facilities, Angela Sikma.

Social Science and Humanities, Natural Sciences, and Health Studies and Sciences Research Grant Subcommittees

The standing RPC subcommittees are mandated to disburse funds for research for the related Tri-Council agencies on behalf of the Committee and to report on the disbursement of such funds to the RPC and the vice-president, Research and Innovation.

These subcommittees are composed of:

• Three grant holders or recent grant holders of the associated agency (one to be chair). For the Health Studies and Sciences Research Grant Subcommittee, the three holders can be holders of other peer-reviewed funding related toward health research;
• One graduate student named by the GSA; and
• A representative from the Office of Research and Innovation.

The 2023-24 Chairs of these subcommittees are

• Chair of NSERC Research Grants Committee – Erica Nol
• Chair of SSHRC Research Grants Committee – Gyles Lannone
• Chair of the Health Sciences/Studies Research Grants Committee – Erica Summerfeldt

Distinguished Research Awards Subcommittee

This standing subcommittee of the RPC makes annual recommendations for the recipient of the Distinguished Research Award, as outlined in their procedures for selection.

This committee is composed of:

• Vice-president, Research & Innovation (Chair, non-voting);
• Senior Director, Research & Innovation (Secretary, non-voting);
• Provost and Vice President Academic;;
• Chairpersons of the Internal Subcommittees on Research;
• One faculty representative selected by all five undergraduate deans; and
• One graduate student named by the GSA.