Dr. R.J. (Bob) Fessenden completed his BSc. degree in Forestry at the University of Toronto in 1965, his M.Sc. in Microbiology at the University of Guelph in 1967, and his PhD in Microbiology at McGill University in 1976.
From 1967 to 1978, Dr. Fessenden was a staff member at the University of Toronto’s Faculty of Forestry, where he taught courses in forest soil science. From 1978 to 1982, he was Head of the Terrestrial Environment Section in the Environmental Affairs Department of Syncrude Canada Ltd. At Syncrude, he was responsible for land reclamation planning and research and environmental impact assessment.
Dr. Fessenden held a variety of positions at the Alberta Research Council from 1982 to 1995:
- Head, Soils Department 1982 – 1984
- Head, Terrain Sciences Department 1984 – 1988
- Vice President, Natural Resources 1988 - 1990
- Vice-President, Resource Technologies 1990 – 1992
- Vice-President, Development & Planning 1992 – 1994
- Vice-President, Research Operations 1994 – 1995
He was appointed President of the Alberta Science and Research Authority in October 1995. Dr. Fessenden served in that position until 1999.
Dr. Fessenden has served as Deputy Minister of three departments of the Government of Alberta. In 1999, he was appointed Deputy Minister of Alberta Economic Development. On March 15, 2001, he was appointed Deputy Minister of Sustainable Resource Development. This was followed by his appointment on December 1, 2004, as Deputy Minister of Innovation and Science.
Dr. Fessenden is married and has two sons. He and his wife live in Sherwood Park.
