Memorial’s highly ranked graduate program in human resources has a new leader.
Dr. Lynn Gambin became the new director of the master of employment relations (MER) program on July 1. She replaces Dr. Amy Warren, who held the role since 2017.
The MER program provides students with skills and knowledge to help in establishing and advancing their careers in human resources or other relevant roles.
‘Interesting and worthwhile’
The program is jointly offered by HSS and the Faculty of Business Administration, with directorship alternating between the two faculties every three years.
“I view the MER program as a very interesting and worthwhile one, especially because of its relevance to the real world of work and relationships within workplaces and between employers and employees,” said Dr. Gambin, an associate professor of economics at the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences (HSS).
“The issues that are central to the MER feature in my own research and, importantly, in the decision-making process of employers on a daily basis.”
The MER program was ranked fifth in Canada and 38th in North America in the 2019 Eduniversal Best Master’s Ranking by Eduniversal Observatory.
Experienced leadership
Dr. Gambin joined the Department of Economics at Memorial in 2016.
For more than 10 years, she conducted research related to apprenticeships, training and skills with a focus on employer and labour market perspectives in the U.K. and Europe.
She served as a special advisor for the U.K.’s House of Commons Education Select Committee and conducted research with colleagues across the U.K. and Europe.
“Our graduates can be leaders in the thinking that is necessary to adapt and respond to change, such as that arising due to COVID-19.”
Her main areas of research interest are labour economics, economics of education, health economics, public policy, program evaluation and vocational training and education.
At Memorial, Dr. Gambin has been the co-ordinator for the Co-operative Education in Economics Program and served on the Graduate Committee in Employment Relations for the past two years. She also worked as an instructor with the MER program.
She’s currently the editor of Labour Market Observer for Collaborative Applied Research in Economics (CARE) and has been a peer reviewer for a number of journals in the areas of economics, business and education.
COVID-19 challenges
As the current pandemic has highlighted, Dr. Gambin says the world of work and the interactions between employees and employers are “never static.”
“Now, more than ever, the MER program provides crucial skills to students that can be used to better understand these relationships and to find solutions to problems facing workers and employers,” she said. “Our graduates can be leaders in the thinking that is necessary to adapt and respond to change, such as that arising due to COVID-19.
“Given the value that graduates of the MER program can bring to organizations, I am keen to ensure that the program continues to attract high quality students from a variety of academic and professional backgrounds, and that students experience a diverse program that is current and relevant to the real world,” she continued.
Dr. Gambin earned a bachelor of science (2001) and a master of arts in economics (2002) at Memorial before completing her PhD at the University of York, U.K., in 2006. She was named a Rothermere Fellow in 2002.
