Dr. Max Blouw joined Wilfrid Laurier University as president and vice-chancellor on Sept. 1, 2007 after a distinguished career at the University of Northern British Columbia (UNBC) and many years of teaching at St. Francis Xavier University.

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). Dr. Blouw and his wife Lynn have two sons, Peter and Carl.

Prior to joining Laurier, Dr. Blouw was a key figure at the University of Northern British Columbia, where he developed significant university initiatives. He arrived at UNBC in 1995 as a professor of biology, and 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.

Beginning his career as a biologist in the Department of Fisheries and Oceans in Winnipeg, Dr. Blouw went on to teach 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.