The University of Waterloo will soon be adding a new face to its faculty.
Starting in the fall of 2014, astronaut Chris Hadfield will assume a professorial role and assist in teaching aviation and other related programs, the university announced. Waterloo said it is honoured to have Hadfield as a member of its team.
“This is a tremendous opportunity for our students and researchers to work with, and learn from, one of the greatest Canadians of recent times,” Waterloo president and vice-chancellor Feridun Hamdullahpur said in a press release.
Hadfield, who retired from the Canadian Space Agency in July, shortly after returning from five months on the International Space Station, said he is looking forward to his new position. Hafield conducted post-graduate research at the university in 1982, according to the Canadian Space Agency.
“It is with great delight that I have accepted the opportunity to again be a part of the University of Waterloo,” Hadfield said in a statement. “My time there as a grad student was a vital factor in the later successes I had as a test pilot and astronaut, and I’m very pleased to be able to return and give back as a professor.”
Having previously lived in Waterloo and obtaining a degree at the university, Hadfield’s return has sentimental value.
“My wife and I were married in Waterloo, owned our 1st house there, our eldest child was born in Kitchener, and thus it is definitely a homecoming,” Hadfield said. “I greatly look forward to working with the students and research staff, and hope to be able to add to what is an internationally recognized, top-notch Canadian university.”
Hadfield will not only work as a professor, but will also continue as a researcher looking into heart health in space. The research, led by professor Richard Hughson, examines why astronauts are prone to fainting spells and rapid blood pressure changes when returning to earth, according to Waterloo’s press release.
Although Hadfield will not officially start his new position at Waterloo until 2014, he is scheduled to speak at the university as a guest lecturer on Dec. 3, according to the release.
