Our Team
On this page: Scott Mabury | Leah Cowen | Anne Mcdonald | Derek Newton | Sonya Donovan | Jon French
Scott Mabury
Vice-President, Operations and Real Estate Partnerships & Vice-Provost, Academic Operations
Professor Mabury holds a PhD in Agricultural and Environmental Chemistry from the University of California, Davis. He first joined the University of Toronto in 1995 as the first faculty member in environmental chemistry, and later helped lead the creation of undergraduate and graduate programs in this sub-discipline. Professor Mabury served as Chair of the Department of Chemistry from 2003 until 2009.
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Professor Mabury was appointed as VP-University Operations January 1, 2012, and was re-appointed in December 2016. In January, 2019, he was appointed to the newly created position of Vice-President, Operations and Real Estate Partnerships, and his term was extended to June, 2023. In January 2023, his term was once again extended, to June 30, 2026. Portfolios reporting to him include Information Technology Services, Facilities and Services, Spaces & Experiences (formerly Ancillary Services and Real Estate), Office of Planning and Budget, and University Planning Design & Construction encompassing Campus and Facilities Planning, Project Development, Project Management and Design & Engineering.
He is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada, and his current research interests are in the areas of environmental photochemistry and fluorinated organic chemicals. He and his group have written extensively on the environmental fate, disposition and persistence of fluorinated agrochemicals, industrial chemicals and pharmaceuticals publishing over 200 scientific papers in refereed journals; over 30 PhD and MSc students have graduated from his group. Professor Mabury has presented his research at conferences, workshops and given invited seminars all over the world.
He is one of the most highly cited scholars in his field, and has been awarded an OCUFA Teaching Award and the CIC Environment R&D Award.
Professor Mabury spends weekends on his Northumberland Country Farm growing soybeans, wheat, corn and this year, canola.
Leah Cowen
Vice-President, Research and Innovation, and Strategic Initiatives
Professor Leah Cowen is Vice-President, Research and Innovation, and Strategic Initiatives. She leads the University of Toronto’s research and innovation enterprise, representing the University to key stakeholders in government, industry, and the community at large. She oversees the development and implementation of policies that improve research and innovation at U of T. Her research examines the biology and evolution of fungal pathogens, which have a staggering impact on human health. Her lab seeks to develop new strategies to thwart drug resistance and treat life-threatening infections.
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Professor Cowen is the Canada Research Chair in Microbial Genomics and Infectious Disease, co-Director of the CIFAR Fungal Kingdom: Threats and Opportunities program, and the co-Founder and Chief Scientific Officer of Bright Angel Therapeutics, a company that leverages state-of-the-art technologies for the development of novel anti-fungal therapeutics.
Anne Mcdonald
Assistant Vice-President, Spaces & Experiences
Anne Macdonald is the Assistant Vice-President, Spaces & Experiences. Anne is an active member of the National Association of College Auxiliary Services and serves on its Canadian committee, which works to strengthen professional development for ancillary professionals across the country. Before coming to the University of Toronto, she spent 15 years with the Corporation of Roy Thomson Hall and Massey Hall, where she managed frontline services, Catering, and Retail.
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Anne has served on several non-profit boards, including most recently the board of YWCA Toronto and Toronto’s Factory Theatre, where she held the role of Treasurer. She is also a member of the University of Toronto’s University Affairs Board and Business Board.
Anne has an MBA and a Bachelor of Music in Performance, both from the University of Toronto, and an ARCT diploma from the Royal Conservatory of Music. She remains active in the arts through volunteer work, and as a chorister with several Toronto choirs, including the gallery choir of the church of St. Mary Magdalene and Pax Christi Chorale.
Derek Newton
Assistant Vice-President, Innovation, Partnerships and Entrepreneurship
Derek Newton is the Assistant Vice-President, Innovation, Partnerships and Entrepreneurship at the Innovations & Partnerships Office (IPO) which helps build successful partnerships between industry and the U of T research community and also manages the University’s portfolio of intellectual property.
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Derek has held previous senior roles at Western University, where he served as Director (Acting) of the Office of Research Development and Services and the Office of Research Ethics. He has also worked at a large biotechnology funding organization and at a boutique consultancy specializing in biotechnology. He holds two degrees in biochemistry and a PhD from U of T in biomedical research and is multi-published in peer-reviewed journals. His combination of academic and professional experience has helped him build strong relationships with researchers and the private sector.
Sonya Donovan
Managing Director, Real Estate
Sonya Donovan is the Managing Director, Real Estate. Prior to her current position, Sonya was the Director of Real Estate at the University of Guelph, where she led a team responsible for the creation and implementation of a new real estate entity that would allow for the active management, investment, and development of the University’s extensive land holdings. She was also led the strategy and masterplan that guided the development of these land holdings once the new entity was in place. Sonya has also held progressively senior roles in commercial real estate, many with Oxford Properties Group, focusing on investments, leasing, and development.
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Sonya sits on two not-for-profit boards, My Friends House, a women’s and children’s shelter that serves the Georgian Triangle, and CRE8, a not-for-profit organization that she co-founded with four other women to help increase the advancement and participation of women in the commercial real estate sector. Sonya is a CPA, CA, as well as a licensed real estate agent. She holds an Honours Business Administration degree from the Richard Ivey School of Business at University of Western Ontario.
Jon French
Director, University of Toronto Entrepreneurship
Jon French is the Director, University of Toronto Entrepreneurship (UTE). He is responsible for supporting and championing all entrepreneurship initiatives across U of T’s three campuses and provides leadership to the UTE team while managing ONRamp – 16,000 square feet of co-working and event space on the St. George (downtown) campus. He is a central liaison for the leaders of U of T’s 10+ accelerator programs and manages relationships with a number of key stakeholders across industry, government and the broader innovation ecosystem.
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UTE will play a major role in establishing the new Schwartz Reisman Innovation Campus as an innovation hub for the University, the City of Toronto and Canada. Jon also has oversight of various external and internal funding programs for U of T entrepreneurs. Since joining the University, he has helped launch tri-campus initiatives, including the Black Founders Network and the provincially-recognized IP Education Program. Under Jon’s leadership, U of T was recognized as one of the Top 5 University Business Incubators in the world in 2023.
Jon has over a decade of experience at the intersection of the innovation economy and academia and is connected across industry and higher education throughout Canada and globally. He was the first full-time employee for NEXT Canada (formerly The Next 36), where he held numerous roles, including Senior Director, Global Recruitment, Community and Alumni. Jon joined NEXT in 2011 and helped the organization expand into a nationally and internationally recognized network that supports Canadian innovators and entrepreneurs. He also helped launch NextAI, an artificial intelligence accelerator in Toronto and Montreal. In 2022, Jon received the Minister’s Award of Excellence in Innovation & Entrepreneurship from the Ontario Ministry of Colleges & Universities.
