Vivek Goel named president and vice-chancellor of the University of Waterloo

Environment is proud to announce that Vivek Goel, a distinguished scholar with extensive achievements in research, teaching and leadership across both public and private sectors, will become the seventh president and vice-chancellor of the University of Waterloo.

Goel, who begins his five-year term on July 1, 2021, is recognized in Canada and around the world as a leading public-health researcher, health-services evaluation expert, and champion for the use of research evidence in health policymaking.

Goel has held several senior roles at the University of Toronto, including Vice-President and Provost and most recently as Vice-President of Research and Innovation.

The public health physician currently serves as a member of the federal government’s COVID-19 Immunity Task Force and Scientific Advisor for the CanCOVID Research Network.  He was previously the founding president and CEO of Public Health Ontario.

“Dr. Goel has decades of experience and expertise as a university leader and as a champion of student experience, research and innovation. He is uniquely qualified to guide the institution and to bolster our strengths at the intersection of health, society and technology,” said Cindy Forbes, Chair of the University of Waterloo’s Board of Governors.

Goel said the current global situation reminds us of our responsibility to prepare students and citizens to confront the many challenges ahead. “A research-intensive institution like Waterloo is ideally poised to create the change and solutions for a better future – whether it is tackling public-health challenges, addressing systemic racism, dealing with the climate crisis, or spurring economic recovery and growth.”

“In Waterloo, I can see what a post-pandemic university looks like,” he said.

Read more about Dr. Goel here.