Research Manitoba Staff
Jennifer Cleary
CEO
Serving as the CEO since February 2024, Jennifer has extensive experience working with post-secondary institutions and government. Jennifer started her career at her alma mater, The University of Winnipeg, where she spent thirteen years working as the Program Officer, Research Development in the Research and Innovation Office.
In 2019, she moved to Research Manitoba as the Manager, Programs where she developed new programming for the organization, including the Innovation Proof-of-Concept Grant and the COVID-19 Research Fund. Jennifer gained new knowledge and experience when she moved into a newly formed role with the Province of Manitoba as the Director, Business Navigation in early 2022. During this time, Jennifer supported the creation of the Investment and Trade Division.
Her thorough knowledge and understanding of the diverse research community in Manitoba, along with her passion for research and innovation, is vital to supporting the work of researchers and industry partners in Manitoba.
Cheryl Francisco
Executive Assistant
Cheryl offers invaluable support to all aspects and areas of Research Manitoba serving as the Executive Assistant.
Melinda Sears
Director, Finance and Corporate Services
Melinda is a CPA CMA in good standing for over 23 years. Her experience in property management, telecommunications and insurance operations has provided not only financial management experience, but also a wide breadth of skills to tackle many situations.
Melinda has experience leading cross-functional teams to deliver results, dealing with regulatory requirements and implementing solutions that are fiscally sound, satisfy risk appetite and provide best customer experience. Melinda is known for her leadership, thinking outside the box and leading through change.
Freyja Arnason
Director, Strategy and Programs
As the Director of Strategy and Programs, Freyja focuses on building a strong team and collaborating with academic institutions, industry partners, and provincial and federal agencies to identify strategic opportunities for research and innovation in Manitoba. Freyja has a deep understanding of research programming having begun in this area earlier in her career with the provincial research agency. She also served as the past Director of RITHIM for Research Manitoba. Freyja’s strong leadership and team-building abilities that she brought to her past role as the Director of RITHIM will greatly benefit the Programs team as Research Manitoba continues to respond to the needs and opportunities that enable us to contribute to Manitoba’s economic health and well-being.
Freyja has a Master of Arts Degree in Canadian Politics and Public Administration and over 15 years of experience working in progressively senior roles in the research and innovation sector, first with the Manitoba government and then with Research Manitoba.
Jody Dexter
Director, Intellectual Property
Dr. Jody Dexter is the Director of Intellectual Property at Research Manitoba, where she leads the development and advancement of IP strategy to strengthen research commercialization and innovation across the province. In this role, she works closely with academic institutions, industry partners, and government to ensure that intellectual property is effectively managed, protected, and leveraged to maximize economic and societal impact.
Dr. Dexter brings more than thirteen years of experience in technology transfer, intellectual property management, and business development. Prior to joining Research Manitoba, she served as Technology Transfer Manager at the University of Manitoba, where she led the commercialization of a broad portfolio of technologies across life sciences, engineering, and emerging sectors. She has extensive experience negotiating licensing and option agreements, managing large IP portfolios, and supporting industry-sponsored research and partnerships.
Yasmin Iman
Policy and Impact Officer
Yasmin holds a Bachelor of Science in Human Nutritional Science at the University of Manitoba. She began her career as a research assistant before moving into coordinating nutrition-focused clinical trials focused on dietary interventions for chronic disease. Over the past few years as a Program Officer at Research Manitoba, she has built strong expertise in research administration, stakeholder engagement, and evidence informed decision making. Her background includes manuscript development, cross-sector collaboration, regulatory engagement, and trial management.
Ashley King
Program Officer
Program Lead in: Manitoba Solutions Grant, New Investigator Operating Grant, Indigenous Framework
Ashley is a Métis graduate from the University of Winnipeg with a Bachelor of Science degree in Neuroscience. Throughout her academic journey, she excelled in research and was actively involved with projects across various disciplines. With a background in qualitative and quantitative research methodologies, Ashley has gained hands-on experience in health, social, and environmental sciences. Her ability to adapt to different domains has allowed her to make valuable contributions to diverse research projects. She is excited to leverage her skills and assist in impactful research endeavors as a program officer.
Sneha Das
Program Officer
Program Lead in: Innovation Proof-of-Concept Grant, Strategic Partnerships, Mitacs Partnerships
Sneha completed her Ph.D. in Microbiology at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (UIUC), where she studied DNA damage and repair pathways in bacteria. Before joining Research Manitoba, she worked as a Research Development Manager at the Center for Social and Behavioral Science at UIUC, overseeing the small grant program and supporting faculty with grant proposals. Sneha is eager to apply her background in biological sciences and skills in research administration to her role as a Program Officer at Research Manitoba.
Grace Zhou
Program Officer
Program Lead in: Studentships & Fellowships, Canada Foundation for Innovation Matching Funds
Grace holds a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and Anthropology from McGill University and has nearly ten years of experience working in research at her alma mater and the University of Manitoba. Prior to joining Research Manitoba, she worked in project coordination and lab management, contributing to diverse social and health research contexts including speech perception and language acquisition, family mental health, and youth-onset Type 2 diabetes. Grace looks forward to contributing her skills and expertise to support research and innovation in the province as a Program Officer.
Hope Holmes
Communications Officer
Program Lead in: Research Connections Grant
Hope was previously the Stakeholder Engagement Coordinator for the RITHIM initiative, and is excited to bring her communications background to promote the wide breadth of Research Manitoba’s activities. Prior to joining Research Manitoba, she worked for various organizations including the Sport, Culture and Heritage department of the Manitoba government and media organizations including Deluxe Postproduction and Penguin Random House. She also enjoyed a successful career as a freelance arts consultant for many years, as an editor for over twenty published titles with a focus on amplifying underrepresented voices, and as a developer of film and television projects.
She holds a BA in Communications from York University.
Liz Lylyk
Director, RITHIM
Liz has over 25 years of experience in the healthcare system including 16 years in the Clinical Trials Unit at CancerCare Manitoba. There, as the Resource Coordinator, Ethics & Regulatory Affairs, Liz held a key role in establishing standards, guidelines, and structure for clinical trial conduct. Liz is experienced in all aspects of clinical trials including research ethics board submissions, impact reviews, regulatory affairs, Health Canada submissions, consent development, pediatric trials, and investigator-initiated trials.
As Director of RITHIM, Liz successfully led the launch of both RITHIM and the Harmony system, as well as contributing valuable insights to Research Manitoba as a whole. She continues to drive the program forward as she strengthens relationships with key stakeholders, including researchers, post-secondary institutions, industry, government, and health system partners.
Linda Boyt
Administrative Assistant, RITHIM
Linda brings with her ten years of clinical trial experience, having worked as the Ethics and Regulatory Secretary for the Clinical Trials Unit at CancerCare Manitoba. She is excited to expand on her skills and knowledge as she supports the RITHIM team as their newly appointed Administrative Assistant.
Anna Glybina
RITHIM Program Officer (CHIPER)
Anna is an International Medical Graduate and worked as a Nephrologist prior to moving to Canada in 2016. Here, she started her career in Clinical Research and worked in the role of Research Assistant at SOGH Chronic Disease Innovation Centre for over five years, thus gaining experience in managing all aspects of clinical trials and various other research projects. Within RITHIM, she is the lead for ethics reviews by the Committee for Health Impact, Privacy, Ethics Review (CHIPER), coordinating submissions, review committee meetings, and providing support to researchers, members, and stakeholders.
Elaine Burland
RITHIM Program Officer (PHRPC)
Elaine brings a wealth of experience with data and privacy to her role as lead for the provincial Health Research Privacy Committee (PHRPC). She received a Ph.D. in Community Health Sciences and an MSc in Family Studies, both from the University of Manitoba. She worked at the Manitoba Centre for Health Policy (MCHP) from 2001-2020. Prior to joining MCHP, she worked for the South-Eastman Regional Health Authority as a research project coordinator for the ‘Tots Study’ and as a research coordinator for the Pembina Valley Learning Centre. Throughout her career, she has had the opportunity to gain experience in many different areas including program evaluation, research program management, quantitative and qualitative research methods, and working with administrative data.
Dianna Dandeneau
RITHIM Program Officer (Health System Liaison)
Dianna.Dandeneau@researchmb.ca
Dianna holds an MSc in Human Nutritional Sciences from the University of Manitoba. Prior to joining Research Manitoba, she worked as a Research Coordinator where she was responsible for managing all aspects of clinical trials, from grant submissions to regulatory approvals. She also served as a Patient Engagement Facilitator, where she facilitated communication and collaboration among patients, healthcare providers, and key stakeholders to ensure shared decision-making.
Her varied background has enabled Dianna to effectively collaborate across multidisciplinary teams, driving the successful execution of projects. She is now excited to bring her expertise to Research Manitoba as the Health System Liaison for RITHIM
Mark Pinder
RITHIM Program Officer (Support and Training)
Mark holds a MSc in Human Nutrition from the University of Manitoba. After several years of working on nutrition and exercise studies, Mark transitioned to a Clinical Trials Coordinator role where he spent three years running drug intervention studies with high risk/high morbidity populations.
Mark brings a wealth of experience in all aspects of trial management including ethics, privacy, impact approvals, and interacting with regulatory bodies. At RITHIM, Mark works to implement and provide ongoing training and support for the electronic administration system for all stakeholders, researchers, and support staff in Manitoba.
Katrina Cachero
RITHIM Program Officer
Katrina Cachero completed her Master of Science in Human Nutritional Sciences from the University of Manitoba and is a Registered Dietitian. Before joining Research Manitoba, she gained valuable experience in both academic and healthcare settings, most recently contributing to the implementation of a new graduate program at the University of Manitoba. Katrina is excited to apply her background in research and program coordination in her new role as Program Officer.