Organigram

Our Organizational Chart

The International Institute for Critical Studies in Improvisation is centred at the University of Guelph, with partner sites at McGill University in Montreal, University of British Columbia in Vancouver, Memorial University of Newfoundland in St. John’s, University of Regina, and the University of California at Santa Barbara. The institute brings together an international team of 50+ researchers from 20 different institutions.

Under the leadership of the Director, the Institute’s Management Team is responsible for key policy decisions relating to the intellectual direction of the Institute. This team advises on major decisions helps to ensure integration of research objectives. Working closely with the Director, the Management Team meets face-to-face annually to review budgets and reports on research progress, and to plan for the implementation of project activities. The management team consists of the Director, all site coordinators, the Knowledge Mobilization tool coordinators, the Executive Director of the Musagetes Foundation, the Project Manager, and a graduate student representative. The structure of the management team leverages the expertise and experience of our community-based foundation partner, demonstrating our commitment to building substantive partnerships beyond the academy.

Our Executive Committee is engaged in the overall design and governance of the Institute, ongoing fundraising and partnership-building, and cross- and pan-project issues related to our overall research directions and agenda. Our Institute’s executive level partners (Guelph, McGill, Memorial, Regina, UBC, and UCSB) and our foundation partner (Musagetes) have a presence on the executive committee of the Institute. The Director and Executive Committee  prepare the annual reports documenting overall research program progress. They will meet regularly to review progress and upcoming milestones in each stream, assess any risks to the timeline and research factors, and develop plans to mitigate those risks.

The Institute’s Advisory Board reflects a wide range of relevant experience and expertise to provide overall wisdom, guidance, and counsel, and to review annual reports. Patrick Case (Assistant Deputy Minister, Ontario Ministry of Education; human rights lawyer; formerly Director of Human Rights and Equity Office, University of Guelph) serves as chair, alongside panel members Kim Thorne (Manager, Facilities and Operations, College of Arts, University of Guelph), Dionne Brand (award winning writer/scholar, Poet Laureate of Toronto), and Linda Hutcheon (writer/scholar, Molson Prize recipient).

Our Executive Partners 2013 – 2021
Location Role
University of Guelph Site Coordinator: Frederique Arroyas
University of British Columbia Site Coordinator: Kevin McNeilly
University of California, Santa Barbara Site Coordinator: George Lipsitz
McGill University Site Coordinator: Eric Lewis
Memorial University of Newfoundland Site Coordinator: Ellen Waterman (2012-2018), Andrew Staniland (2018- )
Musagetes Foundation Executive Director: Shawn Van Sluys
University of Regina Site Coordinator: Rebecca Caines

 

Management Team 2013 – 2021
(Research Priorities in square brackets)
Team Member & Research Priorities Site & Department
Research Priorities
1. Improvisation as Practice-Based Research
2. Improvisation, Community Health, and Social Responsibility
3. Improvisation, Intermediality, and Experimental Technologies
Ajay Heble [1, 2] Institute Director, University of Guelph, English
Frederique Arroyas [1, 2] University of Guelph, Languages and Literatures
Rebecca Caines [1, 2, 3] University of Regina, Creative Technologies
Daniel Fischlin [1, 2, 3] University of Guelph, English
Ichiro Fujinaga [3] McGill University, Music Research
Elizabeth Jackson University of Guelph, Community Engaged Scholarship Institute
Eric Lewis [1, 2, 3] McGill University, Philosophy
George Lipsitz [1, 2] University of California, Santa Barbara, Black Studies and Sociology
Kevin McNeilly [1, 2] University of British Columbia, English
Justine Richardson IICSI Project Manager
Andrew Staniland [3] Memorial University of Newfoundland, Music
Shawn Van Sluys Musagetes Foundation
Ellen Waterman [1, 2, 3] Carleton University, Music
Daniel Weinstock [2] McGill University, Law

 

Co-investigators and Research Collaborators 2013 – 2021
(Research Priorities in square brackets)
Team Member & Research Priorities Institution & Department
Research Priorities
1. Improvisation as Practice-Based Research
2. Improvisation, Community Health, and Social Responsibility
3. Improvisation, Intermediality, and Experimental Technologies
Joel Bakan [2] University of British Columbia, Law
Lisa Barg [1] McGill University, Music
Ben Bolden Queen’s
Georgina Born [2, 3] University of Oxford, Music and Anthropology
David Brackett [1] McGill University, Music Research
Mark V. Campbell Ryerson University, Media
Jason Caslor [1] Arizona State University, Music
Roger Dean [1, 3] University of Western Sydney, MARCS Auditory Laboratories
George Lipsitz [1, 2] University of California, Santa Barbara, Black Studies and Sociology
Rumina Dhalla [2] University of Guelph, Management and Economics
Beverley Diamond [1] Memorial University, Music
Alan Filewod [1] University of Guelph, Theatre Studies (retired)
Cecil Foster [1] University at Buffalo – The State University of New York, Transnational Studies
David Gerhard [3] University of Regina, Computer Science
Ian Gold [2] McGill University, Philosophy
James Harley [1, 3] University of Guelph, Music
Kristin Harris Walsh [1] Memorial University of Newfoundland, Music
Kathleen Irwin [1] University of Regina, Theatre
Lawrence Joseph [2] McGill University, Epidemiology and Biostatistics
Ric Knowles [1] University of Guelph, Theatre Studies (retired)
David Lametti [2] McGill University, Law
George Lewis [1, 2, 3] Columbia University, Music
Lisa Lorenzino [1] McGill University, Music Education
Charity Marsh [3] University of Regina, Interactive Media and Performance Labs
Stephen McAdams [3] McGill University, Music Perception and Cognition
Marta McCarthy [1] University of Guelph, Music
David Metzer [1] University of British Columbia, Music
Ingrid Monson [1, 2] Harvard, Music
Mia Perry [1, 2] University of Glasgow, Education
Sheila Petty [1, 3] University of Regina, Media Studies
Tina Piper [2] McGill University, Law
Rob Power [1] Memorial University of Newfoundland, Music
Helen Pridmore University of Regina, Music
Carla Rice University of Guelph, Family Relations & Applied Nutrition
Kathryn Ricketts University of Regina, Education
Keith Sawyer [2] University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, Education
Tom Scholte [1] University of British Columbia, Theatre and Film
John Semple [2] University of Toronto, Women’s College Hospital, Surgery
Keiko Shikako-Thomas McGill University, Physical & Occupational Therapy
Gillian Siddall [1, 2] President, Emily Carr University of Art + Design
Winfried Siemerling [1, 2] University of Waterloo, English
Howard Spring [1] University of Guelph, Music
Alan Stanbridge [1, 2] University of Toronto at Scarborough, Arts, Culture, and Media
Jason Stanyek [1, 2] University of Oxford, Ethnomusicology
Jesse Stewart [1, 2, 3] Carleton University, Music
Michelle Stewart University of Regina, Justice Studies
Sherrie Tucker [2, 3] University of Kansas, American Studies
Paul Watkins Vancouver Island University, English
Deborah Wong [1, 2] University of California, Riverside, Music