Zahra Bhanji

Biography

Dr. Zahra Bhanji is the Assistant Dean in the Office of the Vice-Principal Academic & Dean (OVPD), providing administrative leadership and oversight for the decanal and broader academic portfolio. As a member of the Deans Group leadership team, Dr. Bhanji supports two major areas of organizational activity.  She supports the strategic functions of the Office by managing financial planning, human resources; organizational change and transition; risk and issues management; communications; committees and governance; and implementation of new initiatives and special projects. Dr. Bhanji also oversees staffing and operations of the various units of the Office of the Vice-Principal Academic & Dean including academic finance; academic integrity and student code; undergraduate and graduate student, post-doctoral, and lifelong learning initiatives, programs and curriculum; and faculty affairs and academic human resources.

Prior to this appointment, Dr. Bhanji was the Director of the Office of the Vice Principal Research & Innovation where she led the growth of research and innovation funding, support and infrastructure at U of T Scarborough.  In addition to her leadership in higher education, she has worked in the international development, non-profit and government sectors in Canada and oversees over the last 25 years. 

Dr. Bhanji has served on a number of volunteer boards in various capacities.  She has written peer-reviewed journal articles and book chapters as well as taught undergraduate, graduate, and post graduate courses at the University of Toronto and Humber College.  Dr. Bhanji has also presented at various local and international conferences.

A proud alumna of the University of Toronto, Dr. Bhanji earned her BA, a MEd degree, and a PhD in Education Administration and Comparative, International & Development Education.

To schedule a meeting with Dr. Bhanji contact: Rhonda Martin, Executive Assistant to the Assistant Dean and to the Vice-Principal Academic & Dean.

7 Questions with Assistant Dean, Dr. Zahra Bhanji

1. What can you tell us about a project you are currently working on?  I’m currently supporting the departmental planning exercise underway in the academic units on behalf of the Dean’s Office. The academic departmental planning exercise is an important process that enables departmental chairs and their faculty and staff to jointly develop a shared vision, objectives, and initiatives for their department for the next 5 years. The plans will provide deeper visibility of academic units’ priorities and initiatives to support campus-wide planning and decision making. 
2. If you had to define yourself in three words, what would they be?  Community-builder, strategic and mission driven
3. What do you enjoy most about your role?  I really enjoy the opportunity to work with like-minded colleagues on a variety of initiatives in the Dean’s Office and across various academic and administrative units to contribute to the academic mission at UTSC.
4. Why U of T Scarborough?  I’ve had the privilege of working at UTSC since 2015. I really appreciate the ambitious vision, strong sense of community and inclusive values and culture at UTSC.
5. What important lesson have you learned in your current role? I started my role in the UTSC Dean’s Office in March 2020, at the start of the pandemic. It has been an incredible journey to see all the progress that has been made on a broad suite of activities and initiatives due to the everyday efforts, hard work and enthusiasm of everyone involved. An important lesson for me has been to see how much can get done when everyone is rowing in the same direction!
6. What is the one thing people likely do not know about you? I went to Gujarat, India after undergrad on an International Development Fellowship to work on community based reforestation initiatives. I was coincidently working in villages near where my great - grandparents were from and I was able to meet some relatives that my family had lost touch with for two generations.
7. Which movie, book, or show makes you laugh the most? Seinfeld, for sure!