Vivek Goel, the current president of the UW, announced the appointment of Dr. Thomas Duever as the interim Vice-President, Academic and Provost. A Waterloo engineering alumnus with a distinguished career in both industry and academia, Duever will begin his term on July 1, 2025, and serve until June 30, 2027.

Duever holds a bachelor’s, master’s, and PhD in chemical engineering from UW. He initially worked as a research engineer in the pulp and paper industry before returning to the university as a faculty member, a role he held for 24 years. Throughout his tenure, he took on a wide range of leadership positions, including associate chair of graduate studies, associate chair of undergraduate studies, and chair of the Chemical Engineering department. His research led to impactful publications in polymer reaction engineering, product development, and process systems engineering.

During his time as department chair, Duever expanded the chemical engineering department’s faculty by over 50 per cent and more than doubled the number of graduate students. He was instrumental in launching the nanotechnology undergraduate program and played a key role in the establishment of Waterloo’s Dubai campus and its chemical engineering program.

In the past decade, Duever served as the dean of the Faculty of Engineering and Architectural Science at Toronto Metropolitan University, where he broadened the faculty’s academic offerings and introduced several new programs, including the undergraduate mechatronics program in 2023. Inspired by Waterloo’s success, he also introduced a faculty-wide co-op program.

In addition to his academic achievements, Duever is a fellow of the Chemical Institute of Canada and has previously served as chair of the Association of Canadian Chairs of Chemical Engineering.