McMaster’s Board of Governors has approved the appointment of Peter Mascher as the University’s associate vice-president of international affairs.

Mascher has served as associate dean, research and external relations, in the Faculty of Engineering since 2004. His new role is dedicated to strengthening and building strategic alliances with both the academic and research global communities. He served as the acting associate vice-president of international affairs for a one-year term (July 2012- July 2013).

“Dr. Mascher has been both a spokesperson and dedicated promoter of Engineering locally, nationally and internationally, and his success in connecting our University with government, industry and global academic institutions will greatly benefit the international affairs portfolio,” says Mo Elbestawi, vice-president, research and international affairs. “As a member of the President’s Forward with Integrity – Internationalization Task Force, Dr. Mascher’s insights on how best to implement the strategies proposed by the task force will be valuable as International Affairs moves forward.”

Mascher first came to McMaster in 1989 after obtaining a PhD in Engineering Physics from Austria’s Graz University of Technology in 1984, and completing four years as a post-doctoral fellow and research associate at the University of Winnipeg. He is a professional engineer and professor in the Department of Engineering Physics, and was Chair of that department from 1995-2001. He is a Fellow of the Canadian Academy of Engineering.

Highly respected as one of Canada’s leading researchers in photonics, Mascher holds the William Sinclair Chair in Optoelectronics and leads an active research program, funded by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC), the Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI), several federal and provincial Centres of Excellence, and industry partners. He has supervised more than 40 PhD and master’s degree students, and authored or coauthored more than 200 publications.

“I’m honoured to serve in a role that allows me the opportunity to further represent McMaster on the global stage. Our University has a world-wide reputation as a student-centred, research intensive institution which needs to be earned and reconfirmed year after year, as an important aspect of our priorities,” says Mascher. Moreover, he says, “internationalization is a key component of fostering global citizenship and it is my privilege to contribute to this noble task through partnerships with international institutions, industry and government organizations.”