matthew heinz

matthew heinz (he/they) Ph.D.

matthew served on the DSS board from 2019 to 2023 and co-authored our 2023 report Aging with Dignity.

matthew is currently a professor in the College of Interdisciplinary Studies at Royal Roads University (RRU) in Victoria. He has been at RRU since 2005, serving as Dean of the Faculty of Social and Applied Sciences, Founding Dean of the College of Interdisciplinary Studies, and Vice-Provost over the years.
matthew has been studying the intersections of gender, language, culture, and communication for more than 20 years. He has conducted a community-guided transgender needs assessment for Vancouver Island; recent work focuses on transgender interpersonal communication dynamics. He is the author of Entering Transmasculinity: The Inevitability of Discourse (Intellect Press, UK, 2016).
Originally from Germany, matthew holds a PhD in Communication Studies from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Before joining academia full-time, Matthew worked as a print journalist, a communication specialist, and non-profit coordinator.

He has been active in 2SLGBTQIA+, intercultural, and environmental organizations, including serving as president of the Board of Directors of the Intercultural Association of Greater Victoria.