Ian Rowlands

Professor, School of Environment, Resources and Sustainability    

Ian Rowlands
Faculty
Faculty

RESEARCH CLUSTERS

RESEARCH CLUSTERS

Ian Rowlands

Professor, School of Environment, Resources and Sustainability

(519) 888-4567 | Ext. 32574

irowlands@uwaterloo.ca

UW Office: EV2-2026

  University Profile

Ian Rowlands is a Professor at the School of Environment, Resources and Sustainability at the University of Waterloo and is cross-appointed to the Global Governance Program.

Dr. Rowlands has research and teaching interests in the areas of energy management strategies and policies, international environmental relations, and international education. His research has been published in many international journals, including Energy PolicyEnergy Research & Social Science, Environmental Politics, Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, and Review of Policy Research.

Dr. Rowlands has participated in international, national, and provincial consultations convened by organizations including the International Energy Agency, Natural Resources Canada, and the Ontario Power Authority. Locally, he was one of the founders of Reep Green Solutions, served on the Board of Sustainable Waterloo Region for six years, and is currently a member of the Board of Directors for Waterloo Region Community Energy.

Dr. Rowlands’s current research activities investigate the sustainable energy transition and multi-level climate governance, with projects focusing upon, for instance, community engagement with prospective energy infrastructure projects, climate change mitigation policies at provincial and federal levels, community coalitions for energy transitions, and international networks in higher education.

Dr. Rowlands received his Bachelor’s degree in Engineering Science (specialising in Chemical Engineering) from the University of Toronto, his Diploma in International and Comparative Politics from the London School of Economics and Political Science and his doctorate in International Relations from the University of London (London School of Economics and Political Science). Before joining the faculty of the University of Waterloo in 1998, he was a researcher at the United Nations Collaborating Centre on Energy and Environment in Denmark (1996-97) and a lecturer in International Relations and Development Studies at the London School of Economics and Political Science (1991-96). Prof. Rowlands has also been a Visiting Fellow at the Robert Schumann Centre for Advanced Studies at the European University Institute in Italy (2003), a Senior Research Fellow with the United Kingdom’s Department for International Development (2009-2011), and a Special Advisor with the Association of Commonwealth Universities (2020).  He was also previously the University of Waterloo’s Associate Vice-President, International (2016-2019, 2021-2023).

Awards

  • Distinguished Teacher Award, University of Waterloo, 2009.
  • Excellence in Education Award for Promotion of Sustainable Practices, Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation, 2004.

Select Publications

  • Joseph Fiander, Chad Walker, Ian H. Rowlands, Patrick Devine-Wright, Charlie Wilson, Iain Soutar, and Rajat Gupta. “Energy Democracy, Public Participation, and Support for Local Energy System Change in Canada .” Energy Research and Social Science 113 (2024).
  • Ian H. Rowlands, “Sustainability and Transformative Energy Systems”. In: Zambroni de Souza, A.C., Venkatesh, B. (eds) Planning and Operation of Active Distribution Networks. Lecture Notes in Electrical Engineering, vol 826. Springer, Cham., 2022.
  • Andrew Goudie and Ian H. Rowlands, “Developing university partnerships for a better world”, University World News, 30 October (2021).
  • Sara Ganowski and Ian H. Rowlands, “Read all about it! Comparing media discourse on energy storage in Canada and the United Kingdom in a transition era”, Energy Research & Social Science 70 (2020).

Education

  • Ph.D., University of London (London School of Economics and Political Science), 1992
  • Diploma in International and Comparative Politics, London School of Economics and Political Science, 1988
  • B.A.Sc., University of Toronto, 1987