Laurier appoints acting associate vice president and dean of the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies

Feb. 7, 2022
For Immediate Release

Waterloo – Wilfrid Laurier University has appointed Brent Wolfe, associate dean in the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies and professor of Geography and Environmental Studies, as the acting associate vice-president and dean of the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies. He will succeed Douglas Deutschman, who is concluding his five-year term as associate vice president and dean, after which he will take a one-year administrative leave. Wolfe’s one-year term begins July 1. 

“Dr. Wolfe has made significant contributions to graduate education at Laurier,” said Tony Vannelli, provost and vice-president: academic. “With his outstanding record of research and mentorship to graduate students and postdoctoral fellows, he brings a high level of knowledge and dedication to this role."

Wolfe joined Laurier in 2002 after earning degrees at the University of Manitoba and the University of Waterloo. He is a former Northern Research Chair with the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada and has trained more than 50 graduate students and postdoctoral researchers in northern environmental science. 

Wolfe’s collaborative field- and laboratory-based research program uses contemporary and paleoenvironmental approaches to assess effects of climate change and other stressors on water quantity and quality in northern lake-rich landscapes. The knowledge gained from his research is used to inform multiple stakeholders and is supported by multiple agencies, industry and other partners. He has authored more than 110 peer-reviewed publications. 

“Training graduate students and postdoctoral researchers has always been my passion and priority. I look forward to taking on this interim role and collaborating with others to guide Laurier’s Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies during the next academic year,” said Wolfe. “I am grateful to have had the opportunity and privilege to work alongside Dr. Douglas Deutschman and to learn from the excellent vision and leadership he provided.” 

During Deutschman’s term as associate vice-president and dean of the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies, he led significant program innovation and diversification, a doubling of applications to graduate programs and a forward-thinking renovation to the faculty’s offices. Deutschman has also been a leader at the sector level, including serving on the Ontario Universities Council on Quality Assurance as the representative of the Ontario Council on Graduate Studies. 

“We are grateful to Dr. Deutschman for his leadership as associate vice president and dean of the Faculty and Graduate Postdoctoral Studies,” said Vannelli. “His leadership has helped to grow applications and enrolment, elevating Laurier to a premier destination for graduate students and postdoctoral researchers.”