Van Acker | 

Dr. Rene Van Acker is Professor and Chair of the Department of Plant Agriculture at the University of Guelph and was previously a professor of weed science and crop management at the University of Manitoba. His research interests include weed seedling recruitment biology and ecology, robust cropping systems, multifunctional agriculture and the coexistence of GM and non-GM crops. He conducts field-based research, supervises graduate students and teaches courses at the undergraduate and graduate levels. He has published over 80 peer-reviewed works to-date and has made over 250 other non-peer reviewed contributions. While in Manitoba he was part of the Agriculture Renewal Alliance, an ad hoc collective of individuals and groups working to recapture wealth within rural communities. His research work on coexistence of GM and non-GM crops has lead to international collaborations and presentations, and consulting work with governments and organizations in Denmark, Australia, Switzerland, Australia, the US and Canada. Rene grew up on a farm in southwest Ontario. He holds BSc and MSc degrees in crop science and weed management from the University of Guelph and a PhD in crop-weed ecology from the University of Reading in the UK. Rene and his wife Susie have three children and live in Guelph.