Jun Nogami 

UTFA Experience:

I am currently serving as UTFA Vice-President, Salary Benefits Pensions and Workload (VP-SBPW). I
co-lead the negotiations with the Administration for the period beginning July 1, 2026. If elected
president, I will step down from this role but will remain actively involved in bargaining.
• I was VP-SBPW for the round of bargaining that ended with an arbitration award in 2023. In that
round, UTFA negotiated a three-year agreement that included significant gains in member
benefits.
• I also co-led the negotiations for a post-Bill 124 salary rise. This resulted in a sector-leading
additional 7% across-the-board increase for our members.
• In 2021, I negotiated the final terms for the Supplemental Account Plan (SAP), which provides
some pension enhancements for high earners.
• In February 2025, I stepped in as Interim VP-SBPW, and was appointed to the position in July
for a two year term.
• I served as Acting UTFA President from June to August 2025.
• I am on the following Administration-facing committees: Joint Benefits, Joint Committee, and
Health and Safety. I also serve, or have served on numerous UTFA committees, including
appointments, and nominating.
• I have been an UTFA Council member since 2008 (Constituency 402).

Biographical Information:

I have been a professor in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering (MSE) since 2004.
Before that time, I spent 25 years in the US, including faculty positions at the University of Wisconsin-
Milwaukee and Michigan State University. The move to return to Canada was prompted by the fact that
my wife, (Professor) Midori Koga, and I regarded George W. Bush as pushing his country in the wrong
direction. Little did we know what was to follow.
My research is in thin film electronic materials. My h-index is 45 (Google Scholar). I also served as
MSE department chair for ten years, from 2009-2019. This administrative experience provides me with
valuable knowledge of how the Administration would respond to concerns raised by UTFA in the
course of advocating for our members. In particular, the “new budget model” was implemented in
Engineering during my time as chair, and so I am familiar with its significant and often harsh impacts on
departments.

Goals:

As UTFA president, I intend to continue and build upon much of the important work that has been
initiated by the current UTFA Executive under the leadership of President Terezia Zorić. This includes
responding to member input about the future of UTFA, and revising the Association’s governance
structure, guided by information gathered by CAUT. I will also prioritize fostering more engagement
between you, UTFA colleagues, and the UTFA leadership. Both within and outside of UTFA
leadership, I believe in leading by building consensus.
In the end, it is you, our members, who are UTFA, and I am presently just part of the leadership that has
been elected or appointed to carry out your wishes.
My goal, and what I hope the goal of the future UTFA leadership, is to make UTFA more democratic,
efficient, and effective.