Dr. D. George Dixon (B.Sc., Sir George Williams University, 1972; M.Sc., Concordia University, 1975; Ph.D., University of Guelph, 1980) is Vice-President, University Research and Professor of Biology at the University of Waterloo. He served as Dean of Science from 2001-2007. Dr. Dixon has received both the Award for Excellence in Research and the Distinguished Teaching Award from the University. He has over 25 years experience in aquatic toxicology and environmental risk assessment and management, principally but not exclusively, with respect to the environmental impacts associated with metals and mining activity. At various times during his career he has served as an advisor on metal contamination issues to Environment Canada, the Department of Fisheries and Oceans, the Department of Justice (Canada), the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the U.S. National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration, the Department of Justice (U.S.) and the World Health Organization, among others.

Dr. Dixon maintains an active research program, which at present is focused on development of methods for environmental effects monitoring, methods of assessing the environmental risks associated with exposure of aquatic organisms to metal mixtures, and on the aquatic environmental effects of oil sands extraction in northern Alberta. He has supervised the research of over 60 M.Sc. and Ph.D. students and has authored or co-authored over 220 refereed journal articles. He has also developed and taught numerous courses in environmental toxicology and risk assessment. Dr. Dixon is Associate Editor of three scientific journals, including the Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences.