New dean of business and IT at Ontario Tech University

OSHAWA, Ont. – Ontario Tech University is pleased to announce the appointment of Dr. Carolyn McGregor (pictured) AM as the new dean of the Faculty of Business and Information Technology (FBIT), effective Monday, January 1, 2024.

Since moving from Australia to Canada in 2007 to join Ontario Tech as the university’s Canada Research Chair (Health Informatics), Dr. McGregor has become an internationally renowned research leader in Big Data analytics, artificial intelligence (AI), edge (remote location) computing and data mesh (cross-domain) infrastructures.

“I am thrilled to take on this leadership role and look forward to working with our team of diverse and innovative faculty members as we challenge and inspire students to push their own boundaries of thinking and learning, and build a brighter future together,” said Dr. McGregor.

She is the Ontario Tech Research Chair in Artificial Intelligence (AI) for Health and Wellness, and also the founding co-director of the Joint Research Centre in Artificial Intelligence for Health and Wellness between Ontario Tech University and the University of Technology Sydney, Australia.

In addition to her academic role as a full professor, she has held key administrative roles within FBIT, including interim dean since July 1, 2023, and previously associate dean, Research and Graduate Studies.

Dr. McGregor’s leading-edge research achievements are highlighted by her international award-winning Artemis and Athena AI platforms for health, wellness, resilience and adaptation in critical care, astronaut health, firefighter training and tactical officer resilience assessment and development. Numerous film and television documentary profiles of her projects and partnerships by producers from around the world have earned major international exposure for her research and for Ontario Tech.

She has more than 200 refereed publications, more than $15 million in research funding, and three patents in multiple jurisdictions. She has deployed her Artemis platform in two hospitals in Ontario, and leads Canadian Department of National Defence research (in collaboration with Ontario Tech’s ACE Core Research Facility) for new pre-deployment solutions for human-performance in extreme weather.

In 2022, she led a research study on the Axiom Ax-1 first all-private astronaut mission, in collaboration with the Canadian Space Agency (CSA) and NASA She also leads the Space Health study, supported by the CSA, on the International Space Station.

She has served on national research grant-selection committees for Canada, France, Germany and the U.K., and is regularly called upon by national and global media to provide insight on the latest technology trends.

Among her many accolades, in 2014 she was named to the Order of Australia (AM) – General Division, by Queen Elizabeth II, for her significant service to science and innovation through health-care information systems. In 2017, she was featured in the 150 Stories series commissioned by the Lieutenant Governor of Ontario and the Government of Canada to commemorate Ontario’s 150th anniversary. In 2018, she was named one of Digital Health Canada’s Women Leaders in Digital Health.

She currently serves as a member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) Computer Society’s Board of Governors, and a director on the Board for Compute Ontario.

Prior to joining Ontario Tech, she led the strategic development of the foundational business analytics strategies for one of the largest banks and the largest retail chain in Australia, along with many other large corporations. From these experiences in the business world, she envisioned opportunity to reapply her analytics expertise and AI knowledge to the realm of healthcare, with an ongoing goal to improve health outcomes for all.

“Dr. Carolyn McGregor’s pioneering research, together with her wealth of leadership experience and international recognition, position her well to lead Ontario Tech University’s Faculty of Business and Information Technology as it pursues innovation to enhance the well-being of individuals, communities and our planet, and prepares its graduates to make a strong impact in their communities. The university’s senior leadership team thanks Dr. McGregor for her leadership during her interim appointment and looks forward to working with her as she takes on this new role,” said Dr. Lori A. Livingston, provost and vice-president, Academic, Ontario Tech University.