Research that drives meaningful impact

Lesley Rigg believes that achieving the best outcomes requires community and connecting with others. Those principles guide her vision as Western's vice-president of research, and underlie the message in Western Research's new strategic plan, Mobilize for Impact! In the new plan, Rigg lays out her vision to "stimulate research, scholarship and creative activity," a focus grounded in the first theme of the university's strategic plan Towards Western at 150 . The plan reflects Rigg's passion for research, her optimism punctuated from the title's exclamation mark to its overall call for collective action. "I am definitely a glass half-full person," she said. "Research has led to so many positive outcomes throughout history. Think about the COVID vaccine and how quickly that happened. Think about transportation and the fact that a plane can fly.