Hans-Joachim Wieden

Dr. Wieden was appointed as Associate Vice-President (Partnerships, Knowledge Mobilization, and Innovation) in  2023. Within his portfolio he is responsible for the Partnerships and Knowledge Mobilization office, the Office of Research Security, as well as Research Contracts. Currently, Dr. Wieden oversees the development of the IDEA START Innovation and entrepreneurship accelerator at the University of Manitoba.  He began his Canadian career at the University of Lethbridge where he established the SynBridge Makers space, a primarily life sciences and synthetic biology ventures focused incubator. Dr. Wieden was the founding director of the Alberta RNA Research and Training Institute (ARRTI) and developed the Industry NSERC CREATE RNA Innovation program. He is active in science policy and innovation mobilization, including dual-use research in the life sciences and research security.