Philippe Van Cappellen (He/Him)

Philippe Van Cappellen is a professor of Earth and Environmental Sciences and the Canada Excellence Research Chair Laureate in Ecohydrology. He leads an interdisciplinary research team focusing on water quality and ecosystem health, from local to global scales.

His research portfolio includes soils, rivers, wetlands, lakes, aquifers, coastal ecosystems, and urban water systems. Van Cappellen combines laboratory studies with field observations and modelling to develop a predictive understanding of the coupled hydrogeological, geochemical, and biological processes that regulate water chemistry and aquatic ecosystem functions, and how these respond to human pressures, including ongoing climate change. His work further includes the environmental fate and transport of a range of trace elements and contaminants (metals, hydrocarbons, microplastics), the calibration of geochemical (paleo)proxies, and the development of new water quality sensors and nature-inspired mitigation technologies. His model applications cover spatial and temporal scales ranging from molecular interactions at cell-mineral-water interfaces to the global cycles of carbon and nutrients.

Van Cappellen’s work addresses key challenges in water security and ecosystem management. He is active at the science-policy interface by providing guidance and models to boundary organizations that translate scientific findings for decision-makers. He regularly works with municipalities, conservation authorities and communities. By contextualizing emerging contaminants, salinization, eutrophication, and greenhouse gas emissions, he helps people recognize the importance of water quality and ecosystem services.

• Environmental and aquatic chemistry, biogeochemistry, geomicrobiology

• Carbon and nutrient biogeochemical cycles

• Climate change

• Fate and transport of metals and metalloids in the environment

• Sustainable water use and management

• Legacies of agriculture pollutants

• Urban water changes

• 1991, Doctorate Geochemistry, Yale University, United States

• 1981, Master of Science Geology & Mineralogy, Free University of Brussels, Belgium

• 1981, Bachelor of Science (BSc) Geology & Mineralogy, Free University of Brussels, Belgium

• 2025, King Charles III Coronation Medal, Universities Canada

• 2025, Chemistry Leader Award, Research.com

• 2025, 2024, 2023, Earth Science Leader Award, Research.com

• 2024, University Professor, University of Waterloo

• 2023, Excellence in Science Research Award, Faculty of Science, University of Waterloo

• 2022, J. Tuzo Wilson Medal, Canadian Geophysical Union

• 2021, Fellow, American Geophysical Union

• 2020, Excellence in Graduate Supervision Award, University of Waterloo

• 2019, Third Prize, Global WaterTech Challenge, Nanjing, China

• 2018, Honorary Professor, Tianjin University, China

• 2017, Outstanding Performance Award, University of Waterloo

• 2015, Fellow, Royal Society of Canada

• 2015, Science Innovation Award & Werner Stumm Medal, European Association of Geochemistry (EAG)

• 2015, Geochemical Fellow, Geochemical Society & EAG

• 2015, Woo Lecturer, Hydrology Section, Canadian Geophysical Union

• 2012, Adrian Smith Lecturer, University of Waterloo

• 2011, Canada Excellence Research Chair (CERC) in Ecohydrology

• 2010, Sankey L. Blanton Jr. Lecturer, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill

• 2008, Georgia Power Chair and GRA Eminent Scholar in Global Change Studies

• 2007, André Dumont Medal, Geologica Belgica

• 2001, Alan Berman Research Publication Award, Naval Research Laboratory, USA

• 2000, Pioneer Award, Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research

• 2000, Schweppe Distinguished Lecturer, University of Texas

• 1998, Advanced Research Scholarship, Ministry of Education & Research, France

• 1996, Sigma Xi Young Faculty Award, Georgia Tech

• 1990, Philip M. Orville Prize for Outstanding Research, Yale University

• 1989, William E. Ford Prize for Excellence in Mineralogy, Yale University

• 1988, Outstanding Student Paper Award, American Geophysical Union

• 1985, Herbert C. Hoover Fellowship, Belgian American Educational Foundation

• 1981, Highest Distinction, MSc. degree, Free University of Brussels

• 2025 – Present, Scientific Committee, 2026 Goldschmidt Conference

• 2025 – Present, Scientific Advisory Board, EU project HyDRa on Underground Hydrogen Storage

• 2024 – Present, Peter S. Eagleson Hydrologic Sciences Award Committee, AGU-Hydrologic Sciences

• 2024 – Present, Advisory Board, LoCo2: Impacts of Offshore CO2 Storage, Technical University of Denmark

• 2024 – Present, Strategic Management Committee, Global Water Futures Observatories

• 2024 – Present, Steering Committee, Global Environment Measurement and Monitoring (GEMM) - Waterloo

• 2022 – Present, Waterloo Awards Committee

• 2022 – Present, Applied Geochemistry: Strategic Advisory Board (co-chair)

• 2022 – Present, American Geophysical Union - Biogeosciences Division: Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Committee

• 2021 – Present, Agence Nationale de la Recherche (ANR, France): Sustainable Science Committee

• 2020 – Present, International Union of Geological Sciences: Hydrogeology Working Group (co-lead)

• 2018 – Present, Institute of Surface-Earth System Science, Tianjin University: International Advisory Committee

• 2016 – Present, Global Water Futures: Strategic Management Committee

• 2016 – Present, Global Water Futures: Core modeling team - water quality (lead)

• 2013 – Present, Water Institute: Senior Management Board & Strategic Planning Committee

• American Geophysical Union

• Canadian Geophysical Union

• European Association of Geochemistry

• Cross-appointed to the Department of Biology (Professor)

• Water Institute (Member)

• Waterloo Centre for Microbial Research (Member)

• Waterloo Climate Institute (Member)

• EARTH 322 - Ecohydrology
  • Taught in 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025, 2026
• EARTH 652 - Reactive Transport Modelling
  • Taught in 2022, 2025

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

• For the full list of Philippe Van Cappellen's publications, please see Google Scholar.

• Douglas E. LaRowe, Philippe Van Cappellen, (2011). Degradation of natural organic matter: A thermodynamic analysis. Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta, Volume 75, Issue 8, Pages 2030-2042, ISSN 0016-7037. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gca.2011.01.020

• Alexander G.J. Driedger, Hans H. Dürr, Kristen Mitchell, Philippe Van Cappellen, (2015). Plastic debris in the Laurentian Great Lakes: A review. Journal of Great Lakes Research, Volume 41, Issue 1, Pages 9-19. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jglr.2014.12.020

• T. Maavara, C.T. Parsons, C. Ridenour, S. Stojanovic, H.H. Dürr, H.R. Powley, & P. Van Cappellen, (2015). Global phosphorus retention by river damming. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 112 (51) 15603-15608. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1511797112

• Philippe Van Cappellen, Jean-Francois Gaillard, (1996). Biogeochemical dynamics in aquatic sediments. Reviews in Mineralogy and Geochemistry, 34 (1): 335–376. https://doi.org/10.1515/9781501509797-011

• Zahra Akbarzadeh, Serghei A Bocaniov, Helen Powley, Kevin G Lamb, Philippe Van Cappellen, (2025). Mass balance modeling highlights the role of the littoral zone in modulating the cycling of phosphorus in a large, multi-basin lake (Lake Erie). Journal of Great Lakes Research. Volume 51, Issue 6, 102695. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jglr.2025.102695

• Ali Reza Shahvaran, Homa Kheyrollah Pour, Caren Binding, Philippe Van Cappellen, (2025). Mapping satellite-derived chlorophyll-a concentrations from 2013 to 2023 in Western Lake Ontario using Landsat 8 and 9 imagery. Science of The Total Environment, Volume 968, 178881. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2025.178881

• Huffington Post, Litter In Oceans Now Spans Even Remotest Parts Of The World
• CBC, Plastic microbeads: small bits with a big impact
• Waterloo Region Record, UW researchers study plastic garbage in the Great Lakes
• Globe and Mail, Ontario swamp faces manufactured flood