Gianni Parise
Gianni Parise is McMaster University’s Vice-President, Research, responsible for leading and advancing the university’s robust research enterprise. In this role, he oversees a broad ecosystem that supports researchers in securing funding, building partnerships with industry and government, driving commercialization and innovation, and enhancing the national and global reputation of McMaster’s research efforts.
Parise also serves as Chair of the Board of McMaster Innovation Park (MIP), where he plays a key role in accelerating innovation, commercialization, and entrepreneurship both on campus and across the region.
With more than 20 years of experience in research, academic, and institutional leadership at McMaster, Parise most recently served as Acting Dean of the Faculty of Science. He has also held positions as Acting Deputy Vice-President, Research and Associate Dean of Research and External Relations in the Faculty of Science. In these roles, he led initiatives to foster interdisciplinary collaboration, promote a culture of innovation, maximize the impact of McMaster’s research centres and institutes, and launch commercialization seed funds. He also contributed significantly to the development of McMaster’s Strategic Research Plan.
Parise joined McMaster as a faculty member in 2005 after completing his master’s and PhD at the university and a postdoctoral fellowship at the Ottawa Health Research Institute.
An internationally recognized expert in human muscle stem cell biology and aging, Parise has supervised nearly 100 students and published 135 peer-reviewed papers. His research excellence has been recognized through numerous awards, including the Early Researcher Award from the Government of Ontario and the Young Investigator Award from the Canadian Society for Exercise Physiology.
He has held continuous funding from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) for over two decades and has also received support from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) and the Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI).