Gijs van Rooijen graduated with an MSc in Molecular Sciences from the Agricultural University in Wageningen in 1989 and a PhD in Plant Molecular Biology from the University of Calgary in 1993. Dr. van Rooijen joined SemBioSys Genetics in 1995, where he advanced to Director of Cellular and Molecular Biology. In January 2003, he assumed the position of inaugural Chief Scientific Officer at Genome Prairie, and in 2006 he transitioned to become the inaugural Chief Scientific Officer of Genome Alberta, a position he held until April 2026.

Dr. van Rooijen continues to serve as a Director of The Metabolomics Innovation Centre (TMIC) and as a member of the Scientific Advisory Committee for the “Best Future Forest: Advanced Forest Genomics and Integrative Resource Management System (BFF-AFIRMS)” initiative at the University of Alberta. As a volunteer, he has served as President of the Dutch Canadian Business Club, a Senator for the University of Calgary, and a long-time judge at the Calgary Youth Science Fair.