Appointment of Prof. Bill Van Heyst as CEPS Associate Dean (External Relations)

The College of Engineering and Physical Sciences (CEPS) is pleased to announce the appointment of Prof. Bill Van Heyst as the Associate Dean (External Relations). His five-year term begins on September 1, 2018.

In this role, Professor Van Heyst will be responsible for issues relating to alumni and development activities, external research partnerships, community outreach and other stakeholder communities.

“I see the position of the Associate Dean of External Relations as a facilitator in a role that can help individual faculty members, academic units, the College, and the University as a whole reach their respective visions in a strategic manner with the involvement of external partners” says Van Heyst.

Dr. Van Heyst is a professor in the School of Engineering (SOE) and brings significant and relevant experience to this role including many leadership roles he has taken on in the College of Engineering and Physical Sciences and at the University of Guelph. These include, being the Associate Director Research and External Partnerships for the School of Engineering from 2012-2015, and serving nine years as the Research Program Director of the Environmental Sustainability pillar under the OMAFRA / University of Guelph Partnership Agreement. Dr. Van Heyst has also been an active elected member of the University of Guelph’s Senate since 2011.

Dr. Van Heyst attained his B.A.Sc., M.A.Sc and PhD in Mechanical Engineering at the University of Waterloo. He then spent five years in the private sector working as an environmental engineering consultant. He started his academic career as an Assistant Professor at the University of Guelph in 2002. He has published 54 peer-reviewed papers and reports, 63 conference papers and has received a patent related to a method to control airborne pollution.