Following the circulation of the recent membership announcement, I am pleased to announce that Professor Dawn Kilkenny’s term as Vice-Dean, First Year has been extended to June 30, 2027. She has served as Vice Dean, First Year since November 1, 2021.
The extension will bring the appointment in line with the academic year. The Advisory Committee will continue to meet and review the portfolio as part of its ongoing work. The process will proceed in accordance with the Policy on Appointment of Academic Administrators, and further updates will be shared with the community in the upcoming months.
I would like to thank the members of the Advisory Committee for their ongoing engagement and thoughtful contributions.
Following the circulation of the recent membership announcement, I am pleased to announce that Professor Heather MacLean’s term as Vice-Dean, Strategic has been extended to June 30, 2027. She has served as Vice Dean, Strategic since November 1, 2021.
The extension will bring the appointment in line with the academic year. The Advisory Committee will continue to meet and review the portfolio as part of its ongoing work. The process will proceed in accordance with the Policy on Appointment of Academic Administrators, and further updates will be shared with the community in the upcoming months.
I would like to thank the members of the Advisory Committee for their ongoing engagement and thoughtful contributions
I am pleased to announce the appointment of Professor Timothy Barfoot as the Director of the University of Toronto Institute for Aerospace Studies (UTIAS) for a five-year term, effective July 1, 2026.
Tim Barfoot joined UTIAS in 2007 and was promoted to Associate Professor in 2012 and Full Professor in 2016. A graduate of the University of Toronto, where he earned both his BASc and PhD, he is a Fellow of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) in recognition of his significant contributions to the field. He was recently elected to the Canadian Academy of Engineering (CAE). As a founding member of the Robotics Institute, and its Director since July 2025, he has played a key role in advancing robotics
research and collaboration across disciplines.
His career reflects a strong integration of academia, fieldwork, and industry, with leadership experience that includes serving as Director of Autonomous Systems at Apple from 2017 to 2019. An internationally recognized scholar, he has delivered more than 130 talks and authored an extensive body of work, including 99 journal papers, 128 conference papers, and two books, contributing substantially to the advancement and dissemination of knowledge in his field.
Please join me in congratulating Tim on his appointment and wishing him all the best in this endeavor.
I would like to extend my appreciation to the following members of the Advisory Committee for their time and thoughtful contributions throughout this search:
• Chris Yip, Dean, Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering (Chair)
• Sarah Sharma, Acting Vice-Dean Research and Program Innovation, SGS
• Deepa Kundur, Chair, The Edward S. Rogers Sr. Department of Electrical & Computer
Engineering
• Craig Steeves, Associate Professor, UTIAS
• Alis Ekmekci, Professor, UTIAS
• Jonathan Kelly, Professor, UTIAS
• Morgan Hooper, Assistant Professor-Teaching Stream, UTIAS & EngSci
• Carmela Versace, Manager, UTIAS
• Justin Pascual, Graduate Student, UTIAS
Lastly, I would like to extend, on behalf of the Faculty, our sincere gratitude and appreciation to Professor Chris Damaren for his dedicated service and exceptional leadership of UTIAS over the past decade.