Rene Van Acker

Rene Van Acker is a Professor in the Department of Plant Agriculture at the Ontario Agricultural College (University of Guelph). Currently serving as Interim President of the University of Guelph, he previously held the Dean and Associate Dean External positions at OAC, and chaired the Department of Plant Agriculture. With a B.Sc. and M.Sc. from University of Guelph and a PhD from University of Reading, his leadership has transformed OAC through strategic initiatives like Our Shared Priorities and OAC Space Visioning Plan.

• Co-founded Arrell Food Institute and Guelph Centre for Urban Organic Farming
• Established over 20 externally funded chairs and raised $90M+ for OAC
• Led creation of B.Sc. in Indigenous Environmental Science and other innovative programs

His research focuses on agroecology, organic farming systems, weed science, and temperate forest garden systems. Recent publications examine herbicide effects on crops, microbial community dynamics in agroforestry, and novel crop establishment methods. Key projects include evaluating compost applications and woodchip mulching impacts on apple orchard productivity and soil microbial abundance.

As an active faculty member, he supervises graduate students, co-teaches OAC capstone courses, and serves on university committees including Budget Committee and Micro-credentials Committee. Externally, he contributes to Rural Ontario Institute and leads the Deans Council (Agriculture, Food & Veterinary Medicine).