Meet our Faculty Researcher – Gavin Park
Dec 17, 2024 | Research Centre
Gavin Park, a faculty member in Canadore College’s Biotechnology program, has made a career that feels like a homecoming. Originally from Haileybury, Ontario, his educational and professional journey has taken him across Canada, the United States, and the United Kingdom before bringing him back to Northern Ontario. At Canadore, he is deeply engaged in research that connects science, ethics, and education.
Gavin’s research interests developed during his undergraduate studies, sparked by a comment from a professor. After asking about the wording of a test question, he was told, “You’re reading too much into it.” This remark inspired a lifelong curiosity about how science is taught and how it could be improved. “It made me think about how we can present science in a way that genuinely helps students connect with and understand the material,” Gavin explains.
Over the years, Gavin has built a diverse portfolio of experiences, from instructional design to launching an educational consulting business in 2014. His expertise in educational technology and teaching strategies gives him a unique perspective on inspiring learning. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Gavin shifted his focus to address a pressing societal issue: misinformation. He studies how misinformation spreads through communities and works to develop strategies to mitigate its effects.
Gavin’s second area of research is genomics and bioinformatics, which combines the study of DNA with the computational tools needed to analyze the vast amounts of data it generates. This work merges biology, statistics, and computer science, and Gavin is particularly interested in the ethical implications of this field. “The information in our genomes can tell us a lot about our potential futures,” he explains. “Therefore, access to that information and its usage must be governed by strong ethical principles.”
When it comes to offering advice, Gavin emphasizes the importance of being practical. “The most important advice is to refine your research question,” he states. “You can always expand the scope of your project later, but starting small is a good way to stay focused.” For students, his message is encouraging: “Not every research project needs to be—or will be—world-changing. A series of small steps, accumulated over time, can produce significant knowledge that can have an impact, but it doesn’t all have to be accomplished at once.”
And what ties all his research interests together? Gavin reflects, stating, “The common theme across all my research interests is the ability to make better decisions. Whether through bioethics, educational choices, or providing genetic information, it’s about how we can make the best possible decisions.”
Gavin’s work highlights that research is as much about the questions we ask as it is about the answers we uncover. At Canadore, his thoughtful approach inspires students and colleagues alike to think critically, aim high, and take meaningful steps toward discovery.