Deborah Zornes

Dr. Deborah Zornes serves as Associate Faculty in Education & Technology at Royal Roads University while concurrently holding the position of Director of Research Services. With over 20 years of research administration experience and more than a decade of teaching, she leads development of the university's Strategic Research Plan and provides critical support for faculty and student research proposal development.

Her academic credentials include:

• PhD in Interdisciplinary Studies, University of Victoria (2012)
• Master of Arts in Integration Studies with dual specializations in Work, Organizations and Leadership and Global Change, University of Victoria (2004)
• Bachelor of Administration, Athabasca University (2001)
• Certificate in Human Resource Management/Labour Relations, Athabasca University (2000)
• Certificate in Administration, Athabasca University (1999)

Her research critically examines higher education's societal role through four interconnected lenses: institutional impact measurement, research administration frameworks, evaluation methodologies, and alignment of academic outcomes with societal needs. This work directly informs her strategic initiatives in multi-sector research collaboration and knowledge translation.

As Director of Research Services, she oversees comprehensive research support operations including policy development, funding opportunity identification, contract management, financial compliance for grants, and implementation of research tracking systems that connect institutional goals with measurable outcomes.

She actively cultivates cross-sector research partnerships while developing mechanisms for demonstrating academic value through evidence-based evaluation of research impacts.