Max Blouw

 Director – biography

Max Blouw

Dr. Max Blouw joined Wilfrid Laurier University as president and vice-chancellor on September 1, 2007.

He is currently a member on the Board of Directors of the Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada and serves on the association’s Standing Advisory Committee on University Research.

Prior to joining Laurier, he was a biology professor at University of Northern British Columbia starting in 1995. Two years later joined the university’s administration as the associate vice-president and dean of graduate studies. In 2000, he was named vice-president of research.  Dr. Blouw taught biology at St. Francis Xavier University and zoology at the University of British Columbia before joining UNBC. His research interests include evolutionary ecology and genetics, fish-forestry interactions and ecological genetics.

Dr. Blouw is well-known on the national scene, and enriches his academic career through volunteer roles that link universities and government. He has had a long-standing involvement with the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC), acting as an executive council member and as chair of its prestigious award selection committees and committee on grants and scholarships. He was recently reappointed to a second term as the chair of the university advisory group to Industry Canada. Dr. Blouw received the 2005 Science and Technology Champion Award from the BC Innovation Council in recognition of his leadership.

Born in Holland, Dr. Blouw moved to Canada as a child in 1957. He holds bachelor’s and master’s of science degrees in zoology from the University of Manitoba (1972 and 1977 respectively) and a PhD in biology from the University of New Brunswick (1982).