RSF investment in research and innovation leadership

An alumnus of Vanier College, Angela went on to obtain her B.A., M.A. and Ph.D. in Psychology (Research Option) from Concordia University. During her undergraduate and graduate studies, she was awarded a combination of research grants, fellowships and scholarships from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC), the Fonds de recherche du Québec – Nature et technologies (FRQNT), Concordia University, and other Canadian and international academic, scientific and community organizations. She was also a conference presenter and judge, a board member on the McGill-Montreal chapter of a scientific research honour society (Sigma Xi), and an undergraduate laboratory instructor for research methodology.

Angela began her role as Vanier’s Research Officer in 2018, where she primarily oversees the grant management process for faculty researchers. She manages grants from diverse sources – federal, provincial (Québec), institutional and organizational – and has a deep understanding of the Vanier community. In the last two academic years alone (2023-2024 and 2024-2025), she has administered the pre-award, award, and post-award phases for 28 external grants, collectively valued at nearly 3.5 million dollars.

Angela is the primary liaison between researchers, funding agencies and partner institutions, as well as between Vanier’s Research Office and other internal departments and services. “With the collaboration of my knowledgeable and reliable colleagues across the institution, I help faculty researchers navigate complex processes, so they can focus on what they do best – pursuing innovative, impactful research. I am consistently impressed by the originality and exceptional caliber of their work, and by their commitment to supporting budding student researchers,” she says.

Angela also serves on our institution’s Research Policy revision sub-committee, promotes Vanier-led initiatives within and outside the college, and coordinates the internal selection process for student FRQNT grants. Moreover, as the Vanier administrator for the federal RSF and provincial Frais indirects de recherche (FIR), she annually assesses the needs and contributions of relevant college stakeholders, and recommends strategic investments that address research and innovation priorities. Moreover, she fulfilled a three-year mandate as a professional representative on Vanier’s Board of Directors (currently, Board of Governors) between 2021-2023. She describes the latter as an experience that was “incredibly rewarding and enriching”, and one which provided her with an invaluable opportunity to serve her institution in a different way and afforded her significant insight regarding the Research Office’s role within the larger institutional ecosystem.

“Angela's dedicated work has had a rich and positive impact on the development of research at Vanier and our researchers. Her in-depth knowledge of the various funding agencies and the complex mechanisms associated with higher education research, combined with her people skills, are a major asset in her work supporting Vanier researchers and the Research Office,” says Sandrina Joseph, Vanier’s Academic Dean.

Avery Rueb, Dean of Academic Development and Research at Vanier, highlights Angela’s expertise and meticulousness, which is balanced by her strategic global vision as well as her impressive ability to proactively navigate change and circumvent obstacles. Praising her professionalism, creativity, optimism, empathy and collaborative spirit, he describes her as “an exceptional colleague and a great leader,” adding that he would “challenge her to take on even more leadership roles at Vanier, in the CEGEP network, and beyond.”

Investment area: Management and administration

Investment year: 2024-25

Pictured from left to right: Angela Vavassis, Sandrina Joseph, Caroline Fodor, Avery Rueb.