Gianni Parise is taking on the role of acting Dean of the Faculty of Science, bringing 19 years of research, teaching and administrative experience to the leadership role during Dean Maureen MacDonald’s upcoming research leave.

McMaster University’s Senate and Board of Governors has approved Parise’s appointment to a one-year term effective July 1.

The appointment follows a search process where faculty members and staff in the Faculty of Science were invited to nominate a candidate.

“Gianni’s selection reflects the confidence and support of his peers,” says Susan Tighe, provost and vice-president (Academic).

“I’m confident that his leadership will allow the Faculty of Science to uphold its commitment to excellence in research, teaching, and engagement during this transitional period.”

Parise is currently serving as the university’s acting deputy vice-president, Research.

He was previously the chair of the department of Kinesiology in the Faculty of Science, and the faculty’s associate dean of Research & External Relations from 2011 to 2020.

“I’ve had the privilege of working alongside exceptional deans during some of the best and most challenging times in our Faculty of Science,” says Parise.

“It’s a real honour to step in for Dean MacDonald, who’s done a remarkable job over the past seven years of further strengthening the Faculty of Science’s excellence in teaching, research and engagement.”

Parise earned his masters and PhD at McMaster and completed a postdoctoral fellowship at the Ottawa Health Research Institute.

He returned to McMaster as an assistant professor in the departments of Kinesiology and Medical Physics and Applied Radiation Science in 2005, becoming an associate professor in 2010 and a professor in 2016.

Parise has published more than 130 papers, supervised five postdoctoral fellows, 10 doctoral students, 20 masters students and 29 undergraduate thesis students.

The lab lead for the Molecular Exercise Physiology and Muscle Aging Research lab and a member of the Exercise Metabolism Research Group, Parise studies the regulation of skeletal muscle stem cells in response to muscle damage.

His research excellence has been recognized with funding from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada, Canadian Institutes of Health Research and the Canadian Foundation for Innovation.

Parise was also recognized with an Early Researcher Award from the Ministry of Research and Innovation and a Young Investigator Award from the Canadian Society for Exercise Physiology in 2011.

With a vision of transforming our world through science, the Faculty of Science has nearly 9,000 undergraduate and graduate students and more than 350 faculty and staff in eight departments and schools and five research centres and institutes.