Meet The Dean Of Science

Maureen MacDonald is the first woman to serve as Dean of Science at McMaster University.

Maureen joined McMaster as a faculty member in 1998 after earning an undergraduate honours chemistry degree at Acadia University, her Masters and PhD in kinesiology at the University of Waterloo and holding post-doctoral positions at Western University and the University of British Columbia. Maureen served as Director of McMaster’s School of Interdisciplinary Science prior to her appointment as Dean in May 2017.

Maureen is a professor with the Department of Kinesiology and a visiting professor with the School of Sport Science Exercise and Health at Loughborough University. Maureen is also a member of the McMaster Institute for Research on Aging, the Exercise Metabolism Research Group, the McMaster Centre for Nutrition, Exercise and Health Research, and the McMaster Physical Activity Centre of Excellence. In addition, Maureen is an associate member of Rehabilitation Science with the Faculty of Health Sciences.

A highly respected researcher and regarded expert in cardiovascular health, exercise physiology, spinal cord injury and aging, Maureen leads important research into the effectiveness of exercise as a way of preventing illness, improving health status and lifestyle. Her research is widely published and often cited, including in the journals Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise; Applied Physiology, Nutrition and Metabolism; and the Journal of Applied Physiology.

Maureen’s commitment to students was recognized in 2018 with the Canadian Society for Exercise Physiology Mentorship Award. She has received multiple nominations for the McMaster Students Union teaching award and has undertaken significant administrative leadership roles on a variety of committees and groups on campus and in the community, including the university’s Committee for Recommending a President.