John Scott Cowan, B.Sc., M.Sc., PhD

John Scott Cowan studied physics, and then physiology at Toronto. A post-doc at Laval preceded 24 years at the University of Ottawa as professor, Chair of Physiology, and as Vice-Rector. He was Vice-Principal at Queen’s before becoming Principal of RMC in 1999, where he served until 2008. He has been President of the Canadian Federation of Biological Societies, the Canadian Physiological Society, and the Canadian Association of University Business Officers. Active in labour relations for 30 years, he has been a negotiator, arbitrator, teacher (including SUAC), and the first Senior Advisor on Labour Relations to AUCC.

Despite having an extensive research career in his first discipline, he has also had a long involvement in defence issues, starting with a monograph on defence policy in 1963. In recent years his writings have focussed much more on issues related to defence and security (including asymmetric threats, terrorism and piracy) and on the characteristics of the profession of arms, as well as defence education.

He is currently President of the Conference of Defence Associations Institute, and is the Chair of the Defence Science Advisory Board of Canada. In 2002 he received the Queen’s Golden Jubilee Medal, and in 2008 he was awarded the Canadian Forces Medallion for Distinguished Service, a relatively new CF award for civilians. His current RMC status is Principal Emeritus, and in May 2009 he received a Doctor of Military Science (honoris causa) from RMC. He is also Honorary LCol of the Princess of Wales Own Regiment.

He has also flown over 60 aircraft types, and is somewhat deaf from a few thousand hours in Harvards, and so does not mind at all if people shout at him.