John Bell, PhD, MBA

About

Dr. John Bell is the Manager, Institutional Research Infrastructure and Initiatives in the Office of the Vice-President, Research (VPR).

Reporting to the Associate Vice-President, Institutional Research Infrastructure and Initiatives, the Manager, Institutional Research Infrastructure and Initiatives provides senior operational, planning, analytical, and coordination support across a complex and emerging institutional portfolio. The position serves as a key strategic and operational partner to the AVP, helping translate portfolio priorities into work plans, implementation pathways, governance processes, briefing materials, stakeholder engagement strategies, and measurable outcomes.

The Manager supports institutional work related to shared research infrastructure, core facilities, centres and institutes, research computing, CFI coordination, major research infrastructure initiatives, defence and dual-use research coordination, and other cross-cutting strategic research initiatives. The position plays a critical role in ensuring that complex files move forward in a coordinated, timely, and institutionally aligned manner.

Prior to his current role, Dr. Bell spent seven years as the International Research Officer in the Office of the VPR, providing vision and leadership to strengthen international research collaborations and increase faculty participation in international opportunities. Prior to working in the Office of the VPR, Dr. Bell spent nine years in faculty administration, including three years as Assistant Dean (Administration) in ALES and six years as Assistant Chair (Administration) in AFNS. As a senior administrator in ALES, he was a member of the faculty executive team; the Senior Financial Officer responsible for managing a $30 million operating budget across five departments/units, 60 endowments, and $40 million per year in research funding; and Senior Human Resource Manager responsible for managing teams of ~25 staff. Before joining the university, Dr. Bell spent four years as the Research Manager for the Alberta Livestock Industry Development Fund (ALIDF), a provincial research funding agency in Alberta. In this role, he was responsible for administration of ALIDF’s research funding of over $30 million directed to 160 research projects and programs.

Dr. Bell has a BSc (Food Technology Management) from Ulster University in Ireland, and a PhD (Animal Science) and MBA from the U of A.

Research

Peer reviewed publications in dairy science and patent: Increasing the concentration of conjugated linoleic acid isomers in the milk fat and/or tissues of ruminants. Bell, J.A. and Kennelly, J.J.