Meet the Team

Core Team:

Catherine BurnsProfessor Catherine Burns
Program Director
Email: catherine.burns@uwaterloo.ca

Catherine Burns is the founding Director of the Centre for Bioengineering and Biotechnology at the University of Waterloo.  In this role she works with 150 researchers to progress their science and move their technology into actual use.  Her work has significantly increased the research funding and academic environment for researchers and students at the University of Waterloo.

Her own research, in human factors engineering, explores how people work with new technologies, and develops more effective designs.  Catherine has published over 250 papers in her field, 7 books, and graduated nearly 60 graduate students, 46% of which have been women.  She is active in her scientific community, a leader at the university, and has participated in many different roles in government science funding.  She has won awards for research, teaching and graduate student supervision from the University of Waterloo.

Kenrick VassallKenrick Vassall
Program Co-ordinator
Email: kenrick.vassall@uwaterloo.ca

Kenrick Vassall received his PhD from the University of Waterloo in chemistry with a specialization in biochemistry, and subsequently worked for several years at the University of Guelph as a research associate. He later completed an MBA degree and worked briefly as a management consultant, financial analyst and investment writer. He joined the University of Waterloo’s Centre for Bioengineering and Biotechnology (CBB) in 2021 and is currently the Centre’s project coordinator. In this role, Kenrick is responsible for coordinating CBB’s CREATE Training in Global Biomedical Technology Research and Innovation program as well as several other initiatives to support health research across the Waterloo Campus.