The Office of the Vice-President Research & Innovation is the central hub for research and innovation at York University, promoting research excellence and facilitating a culture of research engagement that responds to the needs of the University community.
We seek to support our faculty members to create new knowledge and discoveries that accelerate the development of cutting-edge solutions to the world’s most pressing scientific questions and social challenges in collaboration with industry, government, and private and public sectors.
We do this in close partnership with all Faculties and Professional Schools, providing resources, services and tools that enable York’s world-leading researchers to create positive change and further their local and global impact.
Research Vision
York conducts purposeful research that advances knowledge and creates positive change. As a leading international research and teaching university, we are committed to excellence in research and scholarship in all its forms.
Informed by a strong commitment to shared values, including the promotion of social justice, diversity, and the public good, we aspire through our research to better understand the human condition and the world around us and to employ the knowledge we gain in the service of society.
Intensive engagement in research is a core institutional value that permeates the fabric of the University, and it is this foundation on which York’s diverse and welcoming academic environment is built.
What’s On This Page
About the Vice-President Research & Innovation
Dr. Amir Asif was appointed to serve a five-year term as Vice-President Research & Innovation in May 2020. He is a Professor in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at the Lassonde School of Engineering.
Dr. Asif joined York from Concordia University in Montreal, where he served as the founding Dean (2014-2020) of the Gina Cody School of Engineering and Computer Science. He is well known to the York community, having served as the founding Chair of the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science from 2006 to 2014.
As a specialist in signal processing and communications, his research interests are focused on developing next generation technologies for every-day applications, including health and medical devices, radar and sonar applications, distributed multiagent networked systems, and electrical power grids.
He is also the Chair of the Ontario Council of University Research (OCUR).
Dr. Asif received his education and professional training from Carnegie Mellon University and Harvard University. He is a registered professional engineer in the province of Ontario.
Speeches and Articles
About the Associate Vice-President Research
Christopher Perry, Associate Vice-President Research
Dr. Christopher Perry is the Associate Vice-President Research at York University and is a Professor in the School of Kinesiology and Health Science. He previously served as the Director of the Muscle Health Research Centre at York University, where he provided leadership in advancing multidisciplinary research focused on muscle health and disease.
His research program examines the physiological mechanisms underlying muscle weakness and dysfunction, with a particular focus on cancer cachexia, neuromuscular diseases, metabolic dysfunction associated with diabetes, preclinical therapy development, and the body's adaptation to exercise and nutrition. His work aims to improve understanding of these conditions and contribute to the development of effective interventions that enhance health and quality of life.
Dr. Perry has extensive experience in research funding and peer review, having served on the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) Movement and Exercise Panel from 2022 to 2025, as well as numerous federal, provincial, and philanthropic funding review committees. He is also actively engaged with patient partners, disease-specific advocacy organizations, CIHR-funded research networks, industry and initiatives that support trainee development and research capacity building.
Through his academic leadership, research excellence, and commitment to community engagement, Dr. Perry continues to contribute to advancing health research and innovation in Canada.
Meet the Team
Learn who’s who in the Office of the Vice-President Research & Innovation.
Paulina Karwowska-Desaulniers (she/her)
Executive Director, SmartTOpkd@yorku.caSahar Biglari
Research Agreements Officersbiglari@yorku.ca
Strategic Research Plan
Learn more about York’s research strengths and opportunities in Knowledge for the Future: From Creation and Discovery to Application, York’s Strategic Research Plan 2023-2028.
Join Us At York
Discover exciting career opportunities in research and innovation at York University.