Kent Dehnel, PEng
Kent Dehnel’s appointment marks an important milestone in the evolution of the STAR initiative a multi-disciplinary research platform that catalyzes opportunities for researchers on both UBC campuses to work collaboratively with partners to improve human health and safety in extreme environments.
STAR research has applications across a range of sectors and disciplines, including health and social development, materials and manufacturing, and disaster foresight and recovery.
As operations facilitator, Dehnel will coordinate the technical services team and work to create operational synergies across STAR's multi-faceted, widely distributed research and development activities.
Dehnel will serve as the conduit between STAR’s internal research teams and external partners in a hybrid role that was created to leverage STAR’s rapidly expanding opportunities in the private, non-profit and government sectors. UBC plays a critical role in BC’s innovation ecosystem and Dehnel’s contribution will help strengthen STAR’s regional partnerships to have greater economic and societal impact.
Dehnel is a successful entrepreneur with extensive finance and operations experience in small business and start-up environments. He is also the co-founder and part-time CEO/CFO of three successful technology companies in the energy, mining and particle accelerator industries. He holds a mechanical engineering degree from UBC, an MBA from the University of Toronto, and is a professionally licensed engineer.
To find out more about the Survive and Thrive Applied Research (STAR) initiative, visit: star.ubc.ca