Mark Leggott Appointed Executive Director of Research Data Canada

December 10, 2015

RDC is an organization dedicated to supporting Canadian innovation by improving the management of research data. RDC’s role is to bring together key stakeholders to develop strategy, facilitate communication and partnerships, promote education and training, measure progress, and bring attention to gaps. RDC also acts as single point of contact for Canada with international initiatives, ensuring engagement with appropriate stakeholders. Created in 2011, Research Data Canada’s activities have been supported by CANARIE since 2014.

As Executive Director, Mark will build on the existing progress of RDC and facilitate broad stakeholder outreach to launch programs that strengthen Canada’s research data management capacity. Under Mark’s leadership, RDC will move forward with programs that ensure data management solutions evolve in concert with other elements of Canada’s digital research infrastructure.

Before joining CANARIE, Mark enjoyed a successful academic career, most recently as the University Librarian at the University of Prince Edward Island. Mark sat on the Tri-Agencies’ Data Management Policy Advisory Committee, and has also contributed to CANARIE’s Software Technical Advisory Committee and Federated Single Sign-On Committee. Mark brings business acumen and technical savvy to his considerable knowledge of the research data management ecosystem as the founder of the Islandora project, an open source digital asset management system.

Pam Bjornson, Chair of Research Data Canada welcomed Mark’s appointment. “Mark’s long history of leadership in research data management will be invaluable in advancing the goals of Research Data Canada. He is widely known and well positioned to bring the research communities together to jointly address data stewardship in Canada.” Pam also paid tribute to CANARIE, “Once again, we thank CANARIE for its vision and its support. With a full-time Executive Director, RDC is positioned more strongly than ever to realize its mission. CANARIE’s support is critical.”

“We are delighted that Mark is on board to help Canada fully maximize the value of research data,” says Jim Ghadbane, President and CEO of CANARIE. “His leadership, at a time when data management policies are evolving, will help ensure researchers are aware of the changing data management landscape and have the information and tools to take advantage of the opportunities it presents. I would also like to extend our thanks to Pam Bjornson and the members of the RDC Steering Committee, who took the lead on this issue and will continue to advance the stewardship of research data in Canada.”

“I am delighted to join Research Data Canada and CANARIE and for the opportunity to contribute to strengthening the research data management ecosystem in Canada,” says Mark Leggott. “We have a tremendous opportunity to leverage open data and catalyze a new wave of knowledge, scientific discovery and innovation and I look forward to contributing to this effort.”

Mark’s new role as Executive Director of RDC will begin on February 8, 2016.

For more information, please contact:

Ela Ienzi
Communications Manager
CANARIE
(613) 943-5432
Ela.Ienzi@canarie.ca

ABOUT CANARIE

CANARIE designs and delivers digital infrastructure, and drives its adoption for Canada’s research, education and innovation communities. CANARIE keeps Canada at the forefront of digital research and innovation, fundamental to a vibrant digital economy.

CANARIE evolves the national ultra-high-speed backbone network that enables data-intensive, leading-edge research and big science across Canada and around the world. One million researchers, scientists and students at almost 2,000 Canadian institutions, including universities, colleges, research institutes, hospitals, and government laboratories have access to the CANARIE Network.

CANARIE also leads the development of research software tools that enable researchers to more quickly and easily access research data, tools, and peers. In support of Canada’s ICT sector, CANARIE offers cloud computing resources to startups to accelerate product development, and links a powerful network of public and private sector partners in a Centre of Excellence for Next Generation Networks (CENGN).

Twelve provincial and territorial network partners, together with CANARIE, collectively form Canada’s National Research and Education Network (NREN). This powerful digital infrastructure connects Canadians to national and global data, tools, colleagues, and classrooms that fuel the engine of innovation in today’s digital economy.

Established in 1993, CANARIE is a non-profit corporation, with major investment in its programs and activities provided by the Government of Canada.

For more information, please visit: www.canarie.ca.