Currently serving as Associate Vice-President (Research and Priority Initiatives) (AVPR), Dr. Dixon is a Professor of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology in the Department of Agricultural, Food and Nutritional Science (AFNS) in the Faculty of Agriculture, Life and Environmental Sciences (ALES). Prior to becoming AVPR, he was Associate Dean (Research and Graduate Studies) in ALES from 2012 to 2014, and in the Department of AFNS was Associate Chair (Research) from 2006 to 2008, and then Associate Chair (Graduate Programs) from 2011 to 2012.

Dr. Dixon has earned a reputation for being an effective leader and team player, having built strong relationships through the various corners of the research portfolio, including the Research Services Office,Research Ethics Office, TEC Edmonton, Postdoctoral Fellows and Academic Visitors Office, Field Research Office, Environmental Health and Safety, Risk Management, and Advanced Research Computing (ARC-IST). Externally, he has worked collegially with partners in the ministries of Economic Development, Trade and Tourism (EDTT) and Advanced Education (AE) and in government agencies such as Alberta Innovates and Alberta Health Services. He serves on the Board of Directors of the Pacific Institute of Mathematical Sciences (PIMS), Genome Alberta, and TRIUMF.

A graduate of the University of Alberta (BSc [Hon]) and the University of Cambridge (MPhil and PhD [Biochemistry]), Dr. Dixon’s research focuses on reproductive performance in livestock species and the impact of nutrition during gestation on embryo / fetal development, lifetime growth potential (especially muscle growth),and health parameters of the animal. He played a lead role in the establishment and expansion of the Molecular Biology and Biotechnology Centre (now called the Agricultural Genomics and Proteomics Unit) in the Agriculture/Forestry Centre on north campus. Dr. Dixon has also served on the graduate supervisory committees of more than 100 University of Alberta MSc and PhD students.

Throughout his career, Dr. Dixon has served the larger provincial and national research community in a variety of ways. He was on the provincial scientific review committee (Livestock Opportunities) for the Agricultural Funding Consortium for over five years, the Advancing Canadian Agriculture and AgriFood scientific review committee, and the Alberta Action Team for the Canadian Agricultural Adaptation Program. He has also served as both a member and later as chair of the NSERC Scholarships and Fellowships committee for Life Sciences and Psychology. He has been an associate editor of the Canadian Journal of Animal Science, as well as a scientific reviewer for numerous other journals and funding agencies.