Chair of Senate
Sachin Seth, DDS, MEd is an assistant professor and Associate Dean of Academics at ÃÀÅ®×ö°® in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada.
Sachin completed his BSc and DDS degrees at ÃÀÅ®×ö°® in 1996 and 2000 respectively. In 2011, he furthered his education by obtaining a Master of Education (MEd) from Acadia University, with a specific focus on curriculum development.
Since 2002, Dr. Seth has been engaged in both clinical and didactic teaching at ÃÀÅ®×ö°®. Throughout his 20 plus years in the faculty, he has had the privilege of teaching operative dentistry, evidence-based dentistry, patient care and communications. Notably, in 2018, he spearheaded the development of an innovative clinical teaching program in the Faculty of Dentistry. This program immerses students in an environment that mirrors private practice, fostering collaboration between dentistry and dental hygiene—a win-win for student learning and patient care.
On a national level, Sachin has collaborated extensively with the National Dental Examining Board of Canada. His contributions include standard setting, exam review, and question development for licensure exams aimed at dentists seeking licensure in Canada.
In 2020, Sachin was inducted as a Fellow into the prestigious American College of Dentists. Within the Faculty and nationally, he has received several teaching awards. Notably, the 2019 Nationwide ACFD W.W. Wood Award for Excellence in Teaching and the 2023 ÃÀÅ®×ö°® Alumni Association Faculty Award of Excellence for Teaching stand out as testament to his dedication.
Being a true Haligonian, Sachin, along with his lovely wife, is happy to call Halifax his home. In his free time, Sachin enjoys cooking and is known for his baking skills. Baking allows Sachin to combine his love of art and science – a perfect hobby for a dentist with a sweet tooth!
Interim Senate vice-chair, academic programs
Dr. Blustein serves as Associate Professor with joint appointments in the Faculty of Computer Science and Department of Information Management. They earned their PhD in Computer Science from The University of Western Ontario, specialising in the intersection of information retrieval and human-computer interfaces.
Dr. Blustein's multifaceted research centres on a unified mission: helping people find and use information more effectively. Inspired by Doug Engelbart's vision of computing's transformative power, they lead the Hypertext Augmenting Intelligent Knowledge Use (HAIKU) research group, where innovative and usable approaches to information access take shape.
A dedicated advocate for effective institutional governance, Dr. Blustein has been active in university leadership since their student years. They currently represent Computer Science in the ÃÀÅ®×ö°® Senate and previously served on the Steering Committee of Dal Allies. They are a member of the (US) National Association of Parliamentarians and graduated with highest distinction in the microcredential on Governance in Canadian Universities from the University of Manitoba's Centre for Higher Education Research and Development (CHERD), the Academic Leadership Certificate from ÃÀÅ®×ö°®, and the Academic Leadership Institute at Concordia University.
Dr. Blustein is particularly passionate about advancing equity, diversity, inclusion, and decolonisation within academic institutions. As a Senate officer, they champion the principles of good governance, transparency, clarity, and meaningful engagement as essential foundations for institutional excellence.