Dr. Shannon Dea is the inaugural Provost & Vice-President, Academic and Research (PVPAR) at Saint Mary’s University, where she leads the university’s academic and research portfolios. In this role, she is responsible for advancing academic excellence, fostering research impact, and ensuring the strategic allocation of resources to support institutional priorities.
Prior to joining Saint Mary’s, Dr. Dea served as Dean of the Faculty of Arts at the University of Regina from 2020 to 2025.
Dr. Dea holds a Ph.D. in Philosophy from Western University, an M.A. in Philosophy from Queen’s University, and a B.A. in Philosophy and Russian from the University of Waterloo. Her research spans academic freedom, harm reduction, and feminist philosophy. She is the author of numerous scholarly articles and book chapters, and her book Beyond the Binary: Thinking about Sex and Gender—now in its second edition—is widely recognized for its accessible and rigorous engagement with gender theory.
In addition to her academic and administrative roles, Dr. Dea has held leadership positions such as Vice-President of the Board of Trustees at the MacKenzie Art Gallery and Chair of the Western Canadian Deans of Arts, Science, and Indigenous Studies. Her work reflects a deep commitment to equity, diversity, inclusion, and Indigenization in higher education.
Academic and Research Organization Chart
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