November 17, 2020
Next President
Dr. Vivek Goel named as next president and vice‑chancellor of the University of Waterloo
> Dr. Vivek Goel, president-designate and vice-chancellor, University of Waterloo
Dr. 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 has held a number of senior leadership roles at the University of Toronto including as Vice-President and Provost and most recently as Vice-President Research and Innovation.
Goel’s five-year term will begin on July 1, 2021.
Goel’s appointment represents the culmination of an almost yearlong effort by a 19-member presidential nominating committee comprised of students, staff, faculty and board governors, in consultation with stakeholders across campus and the broader community.
The Presidential Nominating Committee sought a candidate who is renowned for their experienced leadership and committed to the success of our world-class faculty, staff, students and alumni. We looked for an individual who will actively engage to foster equity, diversity and inclusion as well as a deep sense of community across our campuses. I look forward to working with Dr. Goel as he leads Waterloo on its transformational path and builds on the achievements of President Feridun Hamdullahpur.
Goel 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 policy making.
He has extensive experience in governance and serves on the boards of the Vector Institute, Canada Health Labs (Vice-Chair) the Canadian Institute for Health Information (Vice-Chair) and the POST Promise.
He is a Fellow of the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences and a Member of the Order of Canada.
Goel obtained his medical degree from McGill University and completed post-graduate medical training in Community Medicine at the University of Toronto. Dr. Goel obtained a master’s degree (MSc) in Community Health from U of T and a master’s degree (MS) in Biostatistics from Harvard University School of Public Health.
In Waterloo, I can see what a post-pandemic university looks like. 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 biggest change and best solutions for our future, whether it is tackling public-health challenges, addressing systemic racism, the growing climate crisis, or spurring economic recovery and growth. I am extraordinarily proud and humbled to join an institution of higher-education that is so well respected in Canada and around the world.
Goel will succeed Feridun Hamdullahpur, whose term continues through June 2021. Hamdullahpur has served as president and vice chancellor of the University of Waterloo since 2010, advancing the intensity and interdisciplinarity of its research, fostering Waterloo’s entrepreneurial footprint, and placing exceptional focus on student experience and wellbeing.
Waterloo is a place where business, community and governmental leaders come together to seek today’s solutions to tomorrow’s problems. I am confident that under the leadership of Vivek Goel, our community will continue to flourish and drive even greater impact around the world.
