Biographical notes
Dr. Gary Kachanoski became the 12th president and vice-chancellor of Memorial University of Newfoundland on July 1, 2010.
He replaced Dr. Christopher Loomis who served as president pro tempore from September 1, 2009 until June 30, 2010.
Born in Manitoba and raised in Saskatchewan, Dr. Gary Kachanoski is a world-renowned soil scientist and an experienced university administrator. He is a past-president and a Fellow of the Canadian Society of Soil Science (1999), Fellow of the Soil Society of America (1997) and past editor of the Canadian Journal of Soil Science.
He comes to Memorial from the University of Alberta where he served as vice-president (research), professor and Bentley Research Chair (Soil, Water & Environment).
He was inducted into the Canadian Conservation Hall of Fame in 1997, an award that recognized his dedication and commitment to soil and water conservation in Canada. Dr. Kachanoski has had over 100 publications in refereed journals, papers and book chapters on his research in soil physics, focusing on the fate and movement of water, chemicals and gases through the soil and landscapes, and on water and soil management.
He has also served as executive director of folkwaysAlive!, a joint initiative of the University of Alberta and the Smithsonian Institute that provides leadership and support for the creation, preservation, dissemination and application of knowledge about the musical cultural heritage of communities. In 2006 he was awarded an Honorary Gold Record at the Kennedy Centre in Washington by the Smithsonian for his vision and leadership.
Dr. Kachanoski was founding chair (2005-2007) and a driving force behind the creation of TEC Edmonton, a joint venture with the City of Edmonton and other regional partners for advancing technology commercialization and business acceleration.
In 2007 he was awarded the Enterprise Award from TEC Edmonton for his contributions to technology transfer and research commercialization in the region.
Prior to this (2001-2007) he served as vice-president (research) at the University of Alberta. During his tenure in that position research revenue at U of A increased from $250 million a year to $490 million, growth that moved the institution from fifth in Canada for total research revenue to second according to independent ranking undertaken by Re$earch Infosource.
Dr. Kachanoski started his academic career in 1987 at the University of Guelph where he served as professor, researcher, program director and department chair. At Guelph his leadership work with rural communities and organizations was recognized in 1992 when he was awarded the Distinguished Faculty Extension Award.
In 1996 he then took up a new challenge at the University of Saskatchewan as dean of the College of Graduate Studies and Research where he served until he moved to University of Alberta in 2001 as vice-president (research).
He obtained his B. Sc. (Honours) and M. Sc. (soil science) at the University of Saskatchewan in 1976, and 1980, respectively, and completed his PhD in soil physics at the University of California (Davis) in 1984.
Dr. Kachanoski is married with three children. His partner, Teresa Kachanoski, holds a bachelor of fine arts from the University of Alberta and was president of the Society of Northern Alberta Print Artists (SNAP). SNAP is a not-for-profit, artist-run organization that operates an exhibition gallery, print production and education centre in downtown Edmonton.
