LETHBRIDGE, AB – A leading researcher in rural water management is poised to assume a senior management role with the University of Lethbridge.

Dr. Dena McMartin has been approved by the U of L Board of governors as the University’s new Vice-President (Research).

“We are thrilled to add Dr. McMartin to our senior leadership team,” says U of L President and Vice-Chancellor Dr. Mike Mahon. “Dena brings a reputation as an outstanding researcher in an area of great importance to our area, and has done excellent work on a local, national and international level. As a woman in science and advocate for women in STEM fields, she will further enhance our University’s gains in this area, and we are excited about the innovative approaches she will bring to this role.”

McMartin comes to the U of L from the University of Saskatchewan where she has served as the associate provost, Institutional Planning and Assessment since July 2019.

“I think this is the next step in really expanding my skills and experiences,” says McMartin, who grew up in the small Saskatchewan resort town of Watrous-Manitou Beach. “The University of Lethbridge is at a tipping point in terms of growth, visibility and building from the strengths that have been developed over the last several years. To me, it’s a really interesting time to bring in some new innovative ideas and work with a university that you can still wrap your arms around.”

McMartin is an environmental engineer by trade, earning her Bachelor of Agriculture and Bioresource Engineering, as well as a master’s and PhD in Environmental Engineering, from the U of S. She recognized early in her educational journey that, as a woman in a male-dominated industry, she had a platform to enact change.

She’s a member of a variety of national engineering boards and, in particular, one that is focusing on integrating diversity into science and engineering research.

Her appointment will begin July 1, 2021.