The York University Brief is the Office of the President’s monthly newsletter. It provides us with the opportunity to share stories about some of York’s best and brightest with our valued partners, so that you are able to celebrate our successes with us. If you don’t already receive The York University Brief, you can sign up for it here.
At York, we are curious and progressive by nature. These qualities fuel knowledge and discovery within our community and enable success and groundbreaking research in a wide range of subject areas.
We take pride in our innovative community, and look forward to sharing more about it with you.
Sincerely,
Ijade Maxwell Rodrigues
Chief of Government and Community Relations & Protocol
Current Issue: November 2025
Top Stories
YorkU visits Ottawa
In October, President and Vice-Chancellor Rhonda Lenton, and Provost and Vice-President Academic Lisa Philipps were in Ottawa for a series of meetings with government officials, including Peter Fagiskatos, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Immigration Refugees and Citizenship. This trip was an opportunity to highlight York's new School of Medicine, the Connected Minds initiative, the real-world impact of York research, as well as the important contributions of international students. The trip concluded with a celebration recognizing YorkU alumni based in Ottawa, which was attended by York Alumna, the Hon. Helena Jaczek.
Lassonde professor earns fellowship for innovations, mentorship in space engineering
Professor George Zhu, of the Lassonde School of Engineering has been named a fellow of Engineers Canada, one of the profession’s highest national honours, in recognition of his leadership, innovation and contributions to space technology and student training – achievements that have helped position York University as a national centre for space engineering research. Read more.
York Professor Pina D’Agostino named first female Chair of Ontario Centre of Innovation board
York University’s associate vice-president research, Professor Pina D’Agostino, has been appointed Chair of the board of directors at the Ontario Centre of Innovation (OCI), becoming the first woman to hold this position in the organization’s history. A leader and expert in intellectual property, emerging technologies, including AI, and innovation ecosystems, D’Agostino will work to advance OCI’s mission to unite industry, academia and government partners to invest in research and development, technology development and commercialization opportunities that benefit Ontarians. Read more.