Dr. Matthias Ruth

Biography

Dr. Matthias Ruth is Vice-President (Research) and Professor in the Department of Economics at the University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. Professor Ruth holds a Masters degree in Economics from the University of Heidelberg, Germany, and a PhD in Geography from the University of Illinois, where he also received training in engineering and biology. Professor Ruth spent almost a decade at Boston University and more than a decade at the University of Maryland where he was the Roy F. Weston Chair in Natural Economics and Policy Advisor on Sustainability to the Chancellor. He comes to the University of Alberta from Northeastern University, Boston, USA, where he served as Professor of Civil and
Environmental Engineering and as the Director of the School of Public Policy and Urban Affairs, as well as Founding Director of the University’s Resilient Cities Laboratory .

Prof. Ruth’s research focuses on dynamic modeling of natural resource use,
industrial and infrastructure systems analysis, and environmental economics and policy. His theoretical work heavily draws on concepts from engineering, economics and ecology, while his applied research utilizes methods of non-linear dynamic modeling as well as adaptive and anticipatory management. Applications of his work cover the full spectrum from local to regional, to national and global environmental challenges, as well as the investment and policy opportunities these challenges present.

Professor Ruth has published 18 books and over 120 papers and book chapters in the scientific literature. He is a founder of Ecological
Economics and founding Editor-in-Chief of the journal Urban Climate, serves on the boards of numerous journals and scientific organizations, and collaborates extensively with scientists and policy makers worldwide.