Dr. Benoit-Antoine Bacon has been appointed the 17th president and vice-chancellor of UBC.
Following the departure of Dr. Santa Ono in October 2022, a search committee made up of faculty, staff, students, alumni and elected and appointed governors from both campuses began searching for Ono’s successor.
The search lasted nine months and culminated with the appointment of Bacon, who will leave his role as president vice-chancellor of Carleton University for his new role at UBC.
Originally from Montreal, Bacon holds a PhD in neuropsychology from the University of Montreal and is an experienced senior administrative leader with time working at many major Canadian research universities, according to the UBC Broadcast.
Previously, he served as Provost and Vice-President (Academic Affairs) at Concordia University and Provost and Vice-Principal (Academic) at Queen’s University.
In the broadcast message shared by UBC, Bacon said he was looking forward to contributing to the university.
“I am very honoured to join The University of British Columbia, a truly world-leading institution,” said Bacon.
“UBC is deeply committed to serving the public good through academic and research excellence … I very much look forward to working with the entire community to develop and realize a shared vision for a bright future.”
Interim President and Vice-Chancellor Deborah Buszard, who has been serving since Ono’s departure, will continue to serve until Dr. Bacon’s appointment begins November 1.