WATERLOO, Ont. -- The University of Waterloo has appointed one of Canada's leading young scientists to the post of vice-president (academic) and provost.

Prof. Amit Chakma, currently vice-president (research) and international liaison officer at the University of Regina in Saskatchewan, will start his new duties on Aug. 1.

UW president David Johnston welcomed the newest member of UW's senior administration team, praising Chakma's breadth of experience as a leading researcher, scientist and vice-president.

"Dr. Chakma understands the relevance and importance of all estates in the university, and will bring energy, vitality and vision in his academic and provostial leadership at Waterloo," Johnston said after UW's senate and board of governors confirmed the appointment Tuesday.

Chakma will replace Prof. Alan George, who has been serving since the beginning of the year on an interim basis while the university searched for a permanent replacement after the retirement of Jim Kalbfleisch. George will return to his duties as UW's dean of mathematics and professor of computer science.

As well as serving as vice-president (research) and professor at the University of Regina, Chakma is a cross-appointed adjunct professor of chemical and petroleum engineering in the University of Calgary's Faculty of Engineering. From 1996 to 1999, he served as dean of engineering at Regina and before that started as an assistant professor of chemical engineering at Calgary in 1988 and became a full professor in 1994.

He is a graduate of the Algerian Petroleum Institute (Dip. Ing., 1982) and the University of British Columbia (master of science, 1984 and PhD, chemical engineering, 1987).

In recent years, he has received Canada's Top 40 Under 40 Award, which is given annually to honour Canada's best and brightest in their fields younger than 40, and was elected a member of the Russian Academy of Natural Sciences and received the academy's Kapitsa Gold Medal.

The author of more than 100 articles, Chakma is a leading expert in areas related to petroleum research and energy management. His research interests include mass transfer, gas separation, gas processing, membrane separation, petroleum waste management, greenhouse gas control technology, and energy and environmental systems modeling.

Over the years, he has served as a consultant to a number of universities and government agencies and has provided advice on university administration, academic planning and capacity building, curriculum development and research matters.

Chakma has also advised government agencies and industrial companies on energy production and utilization, energy and environmental systems management.

He is a member of many boards and councils, including: Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council; TR Labs; Saskatchewan Population Health and Evaluation

Research Unit; Regina Research Park Advisory Board; Regina Technology Networking Board; University Advisory Group, Industry Canada; WestLink Innovation Network Ltd. in Edmonton and the Technology Table of Canada's Climate Change Program.

He has been active internationally and is affiliated with a number of academic institutions abroad: adjunct professor, Peking University, Hunan University, China; consulting professor, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, China; visiting professor, Chulalongkorn University, Thailand, in 1998; and visiting senior lecturer, University of Auckland, in 1992.

-30-

Release no. 99 -- May 23, 2001