There’s a new face in The University of Winnipeg’s Research Office.
Larissa Wodtke has been named Program Officer of Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, Anti-Racism, and Decolonization (EDI/AR/D) for the Office of the Vice-President, Research and Innovation. She has 13 years of experience at the University managing large-scale, interdisciplinary, community-based research projects in the humanities, social sciences, and community health fields.
EDI/AR/D makes research stronger and more useful to a wider population while honouring the lived experiences of those who can be impacted by research findings.
Larissa Wodtke
“I’m excited and humbled to be taking this on this role,” she said. “Because it’s a brand-new position, it has so much potential for shaping according to the needs of researchers at UWinnipeg and the diverse communities with whom they engage and collaborate. I also look forward to working with such a strong team in the Research Office.”
“The Research Office is very pleased to welcome Larissa Wodtke. Larissa brings extensive experience in all aspects of research and will help shape this newly launched position,” said Dr. Jino Distasio, Vice-President of Research and Innovation. “Larissa also greatly enhances our ability to support faculty in pursuit of research excellence while leading a number of institutional initiatives, including the Dimensions Program.”
This role will act as the point person for EDI/AR/D training as it relates to research planning, development, and implementation at the individual faculty level and institutional planning level.
Wodtke will be responsible for overseeing UWinnipeg’s Dimensions Program recognition and status, ensuring the research ecosystem at UWinnipeg exceeds the requirements and EDI is advanced in all areas of research. She will also be supporting the genuine integration of EDI/AR/D practices into researcher grants, and is available for one-on-one consultations for grants in all disciplines.
In the short term, Wodtke will be collecting and developing research resources on EDI/AR/D for an online hub, including a tool kit for Indigenous research data management, as well as developing and implementing EDI/AR/D training and professional development for researchers.
“In the long-term, I hope to support UWinnipeg researchers in applying EDI/AR/D to all facets of their research: from project design, to mentorship and training, to knowledge mobilization,” she explained. “I see this work as forming one of the pillars of the UWinnipeg’s Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Action Plan; a key part of their participation in the Dimensions Program. EDI/AR/D makes research stronger and more useful to a wider population while honouring the lived experiences of those who can be impacted by research findings.”
Previous to this role, Wodtke led a webinar series on data management and Indigenous data sovereignty, coordinated the Weweni Indigenous Scholars Speaker Series with the UWinnipeg Indigenous Academic Lead, held a key role in developing the Thematic Major proposal for Indigenous Languages, and, most recently, was Senior Research Associate with the Kishaadigeh Collaborative Research Centre.
“Throughout my career, I have had the pleasure of working alongside Indigenous researchers, partners, and communities, from whom I’ve learned so much about doing research in a good way,” Wodtke said.
She was also instrumental in the writing and development of a successful Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council Race, Gender, and Diversity Initiative grant, which was the highest-ranked application of the 171 submitted nationally.
To learn more about UWinnipeg’s Research Office, visit their website.
