The appointment was strongly supported by faculty and staff and has been approved by the University’s Board of Governors and Senate.
Dr. Chris Houser, incoming dean, Faculty of Science.
“With more than a decade of experience in relevant academic leadership positions, professor Houser is well-equipped to lead this Faculty,” said James Rush, vice-president academic and provost at Waterloo. “His input as a senior member of the University administration will be highly valued, given his experience with strategic investments in infrastructure, meaningful growth in research funding, interdisciplinary collaborations, novel approaches to curriculum development, and enhancing student experience.”
Professor Houser completed his B.Sc. in the Department of Environmental Sciences and M.Sc. in the Department of Geography at the University of Guelph and earned his PhD in Scarborough College Coastal Research Group in the Department of Geography at the University of Toronto.
He served as an assistant professor at the University of West Florida from 2004-2007, moving to Texas A&M University, College of Geosciences in 2007, where he was appointed as full professor in 2016 before joining the University of Windsor in 2016 as dean of Science and professor in the School of Environment.
His service has included a variety of academic leadership roles at the University of Windsor, including as interim vice president for Research and Innovation (2022-2023) and as dean of Science for an initial term and subsequent reappointment for a second term (2016-2023), and at Texas A&M University as associate dean for Academic Affairs and Faculty Development (2014-2016) and as Global Faculty Ambassador (2012-2016).
Dr. Houser's research includes defining and mapping coastal landscapes, impacts from extreme storm events, and how to manage coastal hazards to increase the safety of beach goers. He also served as head of the University of Windsor Coastal Research Group, which explores sediment transport and nearshore morphodynamics with a focus on beach-dune interaction, and barrier island response to sea level rise. The research group conducts research on the physical and social dimensions of the rip current hazard, with field sites along the Great Lakes, the Maritimes and Costa Rica using a combination of fieldwork, remote sensing, geophysics and machine learning.
“I am excited to be joining the University of Waterloo and having the opportunity to lead one of the strongest and most innovative faculties of Science in Canada,” Houser said. “I look forward to working with faculty, staff, students, alumni and community partners to strengthen the reputation of the Faculty of Science across Canada and globally.”
The Faculty of Science is divided into four departments - Biology, Chemistry, Earth and Environmental Sciences, and Physics and Astronomy - and two professional schools - the School of Optometry and Vision Science and the School of Pharmacy.
The Faculty also has internationally renowned researchers, including Nobel Laureate Donna Strickland, two Canada Excellence Research Chair Laureates, 14 Canada Research Chairs, and multiple recipients of the Order of Canada and Fellows of the Royal Society of Canada