March 9, 2026
President-Designate Dr. Bill Rosehart: Backgrounder
Learn more about Waterloo’s next president, Dr. Bill Rosehart
About Dr. Bill Rosehart, PhD, P.Eng, FEIC, FCAE, FCSSE
Dr. Bill Rosehart is a transformational academic leader, scholar and three‑time University of Waterloo graduate who will become Waterloo’s eighth President and Vice‑Chancellor on July 1, 2026. Throughout more than two decades of senior university leadership experience, he has led major academic renewal, strengthened student experience and championed values‑driven institutional change.
As Provost and Vice‑President (Academic) at the University of Guelph, Dr. Rosehart oversaw significant institutional transformation. He introduced a new budget model and multi-year budget planning processes to support financial sustainability and more transparent resource planning, and advanced recruitment and enrolment initiatives. He also led the launch of two new colleges — the College of Engineering and the College of Computational, Mathematical and Physical Sciences.
Prior to joining Guelph, Dr. Rosehart held numerous senior leadership positions at the University of Calgary, including over ten years as Dean of the Schulich School of Engineering. In these roles, he helped guide financial planning, led major capital projects, expanded enrolment and faculty complements, supported entrepreneurial and experiential learning, and strengthened commitments to sustainability and Indigenous engagement.
In his leadership roles, Dr. Rosehart has been a strong champion and advocate for Indigenization and equity, diversity and inclusion. At Calgary, he embedded Indigenous perspectives into core curriculum, launched an Indigenous Engineering Pathways initiative, and created new supports and spaces through close collaboration with Indigenous Elders. At Guelph, he strengthened this work by appointing the university’s first Assistant Vice‑President, Academic Equity and Inclusion and supporting the introduction of new awards for Indigenous students.
An accomplished scholar, Dr. Rosehart holds BASc, MASc, and PhD degrees in Electrical Engineering from the University of Waterloo, along with executive education from Harvard Business School and academic leadership training from Harvard’s Graduate School of Education. His research focuses on the planning and operation of sustainable energy systems.
An expert in electrical energy systems, he has authored more than 100 peer‑reviewed publications and supervised more than 30 graduate students. He is a fellow of the Canadian Academy of Engineering, the Engineering Institute of Canada, and the Canadian Society for Senior Engineers, and has received major honours including the Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists of Alberta (APEGA) Centennial Leadership Award.
As he returns to Waterloo, Dr. Rosehart brings a forward‑looking vision grounded in the University’s strengths in experiential learning, interdisciplinary research, entrepreneurship and community partnership.
