Grant was born and grew up in St. Catharines Ontario. He attended University of Western Ontario, Brock University and Queen’s University graduating with B.Sc., M.Sc. and Ph.D. degrees in chemistry. After four and a half years at the National Research Council Canada, he took a faculty position at Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI), Worcester, Massachusetts. His research focus at WPI was in laser chemistry, nanoscience, biosensors and implanted prosthetic devices for amputee soldiers. While at WPI, he also held administrative positions including Director of the Bioengineering Institute and Associate Provost for Research and Graduate Education. In 2011, he was appointed Vice President for Research at Kent State University in Ohio and in 2015 he took on the role of Vice President for Research and Economic Development and Dean of the Graduate School at the University of North Dakota. He retired from North Dakota in 2019 and moved to the shores of beautiful Georgian Bay in Carling, Ontario. Grant is married and has two adult children.