Biography

Kelly Bannister, BSc, MSc, PhD

Dr Kelly Bannister is Director of the POLIS Project on Ecological Governance and a Research Associate since 2000. She has drawn on her background in Ethnobotany to build a research program on biocultural diversity, in collaboration with a number of First Nations and community non-profit organizations. Her focus is on ethical and legal issues in research involving biodiversity and Indigenous cultural knowledge, and the potential of local governance mechanisms (e.g., codes of ethics, community research protocols) to address power relations and facilitate equitable research practices. Her ultimate goal is the evolution of new institutional frameworks (i.e., principles, policies, practices) that support collaborative research between universities, rural communities and First Nations.

In 2001, Kelly developed the Community-University Connections initiative at POLIS and facilitated a pilot project in the Clayoquot Sound region to help foster respectful and mutually beneficial collaborative research approaches between academic researchers, community groups and First Nations. She has collaborated with the office of the Vice President, Research,  the office of Director, Cooperative Education and the Human Research Ethics Board on campus-wide initiatives to support and enhance community-based research and learning opportunities, and establish good ethical practices.

Kelly is a former Adjunct Professor in the School of Environmental Studies (Faculty of Social Sciences) where she designed and taught courses on biocultural diversity and collaborative research. She is newly appointed as Adjunct Associate Professor in Studies in Policy and Practice (Faculty of Human and Social Development) where she anticipates furthering her theoretical and applied work in community-university collaborations.

As of Spring 2008, Kelly is co-leading a new project on Intellectual Property Issues in Cultural Heritage.  The project is based at SFU and funded for seven years under the MCRI program of SSHRC.