New Executive Director for the Water Institute Begins

Following an exhaustive international search, the University of Waterloo has announced the appointment of Dr. Roy Brouwer as The Water Institute’s new Executive Director effective January 1, 2016. Dr. Brouwer is joining the University from Vrije Universiteit (VU) Amsterdam in The Netherlands. 

“The Water Institute serves as a catalyst for inter-disciplinary and inter-institutional collaboration which is important in addressing today’s complex water security issues," says Professor D. George Dixon, vice-president, university research. "We are delighted that Dr. Brouwer is joining the Institute, and I’m confident that, under his leadership, the Water Institute will further increase its profile and impact over the coming years.” 

Dr. Brouwer is an eminent water economist, and comes to Waterloo after seven years as Head of the Department of Environmental Economics at VU Amsterdam. Prior to joining VU Amsterdam, he was Chief Economist at the Dutch Water Ministry for five years. In addition to his positions at Waterloo, Dr. Brouwer will continue as Visiting Professor at the Swiss Federal Institute for Aquatic Science and Technology (Eawag) in Zürcih, and as Editor-in-Chief for the Elsevier journal Water Resources and Economics. Dr. Brouwer’s primary research interest is in water resource economics, including the economic valuation and modelling of water resources, and the design and evaluation of policy instruments to support sustainable water management. Over the past twenty years, Roy has participated in, and successfully led, a wide range of multi- and inter-disciplinary water projects across Europe, Africa and Asia. In addition to his position at the Water Institute, Dr. Brouwer will be joining the Department of Economics as Professor. 

“I am delighted to be joining an institution where water research and education has such a proud history, and where water has been recognized as a strategic priority," says Professor Brouwer. "I am honoured to be given the opportunity to lead the internationally-recognized Water Institute”. 

Currently, the Water Institute includes over 140 faculty and 300 graduate student members, representing 18 departments and all six academic faculties at the University. Its inaugural Executive Director was Dr. David Rudolph (2009 – 2011), followed by Dr. Bob Gillham who recently retired (2011-2015).