Chris Houser

Chris Houser is the Dean of Science at the University of Waterloo and the tenth dean since the Faculty was founded in 1957. Prior to joining the University of Waterloo, he was Dean of Science at the University of Windsor (2016-2022) and Interim Vice President of Research and Innovation (2022-2023). Houser joined the University of Windsor from Texas A&M University, where he was the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs in the College of Geosciences (2014-2016), and the inaugural Global Faculty Ambassador in the Office of the Provost (2011-2016).

Houser is a coastal and aeolian geomorphologist. His research focuses on the response and recovery of coastal barriers to extreme storms, coastal erosion in the Great Lakes, the physical and social dimensions of beach safety, and the use of analytical reasoning, machine learning, and graph theory for landscape interpretation. His Coastal Research Group also manages the COASTIE citizen science program in partnership with Parks Canada to monitor shoreline change in park managed areas across Canada, and he is actively involved in coastal outreach initiatives with the Canada Water Agency.

Houser studies how beaches and shorelines change during storms and what that means for their long-term resiliency. His recent work includes a focus on the coastal systems of the Great Lakes, where the decrease in lake ice is reshaping ecologically significant areas, such as Long Point and Point Pelee. He also contributes to efforts for improving beach safety worldwide, working on efforts that reduce the number of emergency rescues and drowning related incidents. His findings have helped change legislation in Costa Rica and improve how the public is warned about coastal hazards such as currents and dangerous surf conditions. In parallel, his research examines the environmental impacts of boat wakes in harbours, including their effects on shoreline stability, and nearshore surroundings.

• Coastal and aeolian process geomorphology

• Coastal erosion and evolution

• Barrier island resiliency

• Coastal framework geology

• Rip currents

• Physical and social dimensions of beach safety

• Bluff retreat

• Advanced geospatial analysis of landscapes

• Geoeducation

• Boat wakes

• 2004, Doctorate Geography, University of Toronto

• 1999, Master of Science, University of Guelph

• 1997, Bachelor of Science, University of Guelph

• 2023 – Present, Dean of Science

• Editor in Chief of the journal Physical Geography

• 2022 – 2023, Interim Vice-President of Research and Innovation, University of Windsor

• 2016 – 2022, Dean of Science, University of Windsor

• 2014 – 2016, Associate Dean for Academic Affairs and Faculty Development, College of Geosciences, Texas A&M University

• 2011 – 2016, Global Faculty Ambassador, Office of the Provost, Texas A&M University

• Chair Organizer for Coastal Zone Canada Conference 2027

• Vice-President for Great Lakes Regions, Coastal Zone Canada

• EARTH 491 - Special Topics in Earth and Environmental Sciences
  • Taught in 2024, 2025

* Only courses taught in the past 5 years are displayed.

• For the full list of Chris Houser's publications, please see Google Scholar.

• Houser, C., George, E. (2026). Eco-geomorphological impacts of vessel-generated wakes. Journal of Environmental Management, Online First. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2026.129298

• Houser, C., Lehner, J., and Smith, A. (2022). The Field Geomorphologist in a time of Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence. Annals of the American Association of Geographers, 112, 1260-1277. https://doi.org/10.1080/24694452.2021.1985956

• Houser, C., O’Rourke, C., and George, E. (2026). Alongshore transport gradients at Long Point in Lake Erie. Journal of Great Lakes Research, 52, 102748. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jglr.2026.102748

• Houser, C., Smith, A., Lehner, J., Lunardi, B., and George, L. (2022). Is there a representative and scale-invariant beach-dune profile? Canadian Geographer, 66, 783-796. https://doi.org/10.1111/cag.12792

• Smith, A., Lehner, J., Wills, C., Johnson, G., and Houser, C. (2025). Interpreting foredune response to SLR and storm activity: A comparative analysis of dune toe extraction methods. Science of the Total Environment, 979, 179277. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2025.179277