New Search for Water Institute Executive Director
The Office of Research expects to initiate the search for a new Executive Director of the Water Institute in the coming months. This search for a successor to former Executive Director Roy Brouwer is expected to take up to six months to complete. As a result, Brouwer has been asked to remain in the role on a temporary basis during this period.
Brouwer’s second and final term as Executive Director finished on December 31, 2025. He has moved back to his home department of Economics where he teaches his Climate Change Economics course this term. He also agreed to take over the role of instructor of the Collaborative Water Program’s Integrated Water Management course (Water 601).
Photo: Roy Brouwer, Executive Director of the Water Institute.
In the coming 6 months, Brouwer will lead the writing of a draft renewal proposal for the Water Institute for the coming 5 years together with the Water Institute’s Board of Directors. He will hand over this draft renewal proposal to the new Executive Director on July 1st 2026. The new Director is then expected to finalize the Institute’s renewal proposal and submit it to Senate for approval by the end of 2026.
Work on the renewal proposal began some time ago since it became clear that funding for centrally funded interdisciplinary Centres & Institutes - including the Water Institute - would come to an end in the current 2025/26 fiscal year. Brouwer has been working intensively with the Office of Research and the Dean of the Faculty of Science to transition the Water Institute into the Faculty of Science. The Institute will remain an interdisciplinary centre for water research, education and innovation that works across all six faculties on campus. Only its administration will move from the Office of Research to the Faculty of Science.
To support this transition, an agreement was signed between the Water Institute, Faculty of Science and the Office of Research to ensure continuity after Brouwer’s second and final term. This transition is already ongoing with Water Institute staff members Julie Grant (CWP administration and program management) and Elanor Waslander (knowledge mobilization and program management) being integrated into the Faculty of Science administration.
A formal announcement of the upcoming search for the Water Institute’s new Executive Director is expected to follow soon.