Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology

Chelsea Rochman receives Arthur B. McDonald Fellowship

rahul.kalvapalle — Mon, 20 Nov 2023 15:41:45 +0000

Chelsea Rochman receives Arthur B. McDonald Fellowship

Research & Innovation

rahul.kalvapalle Mon, 11/20/2023 - 10:41

Faculty

St. George

Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology

Faculty of Arts & Science

NSERC

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Chelsea Rochman (photo by Sylvie Li/NSERC)

Chelsea Rochman, an assistant professor in the department of ecology & evolutionary biology in the Faculty of Arts & Science, is one of two University of Toronto researchers to be awarded an Arthur B. McDonald Fellowship by the Natural Sciences & Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC).

The fellowship recognizes early-stage academic researchers in the natural sciences and engineering with the goal of enhancing their research capacity, so that they can become leaders in their field and inspire others.

An expert on plastic pollution in aquatic habitats, Rochman explores the processes by which microplastics move through food webs, and their impact on populations, habitats and ecosystems.

“It is a tremendous honour to receive the McDonald Fellowship,” says Rochman. “I am so looking forward to the extra time and resources that will allow me to dig deeper into my research and spend more quality time with my trainees in the laboratory and field.

"I am so grateful for this recognition from my peers and for a greater opportunity to make a real impact.”

U of T's other McDonald Fellowship recipient was Associate Professor Karen Maxwell of the department of biochemistry in the Temerty Faculty of Medicine.

Additionally, two ��οresearchers – Professor Frank Gu and Associate Professor David Wong – were recognized by NSERC with the Brockhouse Prize for Interdisciplinary Research in Science and Engineering.

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Five Faculty of Arts & Science professors recognized with Dean's Research Excellence Awards

lanthierj — Mon, 12 Dec 2022 22:25:43 +0000

Five Faculty of Arts & Science professors recognized with Dean's Research Excellence Awards

Research & Innovation

lanthierj Mon, 12/12/2022 - 17:25

Faculty

St. George

Faculty of Arts & Science

Department of Psychology

Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology

Department of Political Science

Munk School of Global Affairs & Public Policy

Department of Linguistics

Department of Physics

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The five recipients of this year’s Dean’s Research Excellence Award (L-R): Megan Frederickson, Kaley Walker, Naomi Nagy, Randall Hansen and Wil Cunningham

Wil Cunningham, Megan Frederickson, Randall Hansen, Naomi Nagy and Kaley Walker are the first recipients of a new award from the Faculty of Arts & Science created to recognize faculty members whose research achievements have been cited as especially noteworthy.

The Dean’s Research Excellence Award was established with the aim of helping accomplished mid-career researchers compete successfully in national awards competitions. Winners have contributed a wealth of research that has had a significant and sustained influence in their chosen disciplines.

The winners represent a wide range of fields: Cunningham is a professor in the department of psychology, Frederickson is a professor in the department of ecology and evolutionary biology, Hansen is a professor in the department of political science, Nagy is a professor in the department of linguistics and Walker is a professor in the department of physics.

“It is with enormous pride that I announce the inaugural winners of the Dean’s Research Excellence Awards,” says Melanie Woodin, dean of the Faculty of Arts & Science. “The scholars we honour this year are widely recognized as having made an important and ongoing impact on research in their respective fields. As the very first recipients of these annual awards, they set a shining example for those who will follow them.”

The five honourees will each receive $10,000 to further their professional development.

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Marla Sokolowski recognized with 2022 JJ Berry Smith Doctoral Supervision Award

lanthierj — Fri, 27 May 2022 20:01:37 +0000

Marla Sokolowski recognized with 2022 JJ Berry Smith Doctoral Supervision Award

Teaching

lanthierj Fri, 05/27/2022 - 16:01

Faculty

St. George

JJ Berry Smith Doctoral Supervision Award

Faculty of Arts & Science

Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology

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University Professor Marla Sokolowski has been recognized with a prestigious 2022 JJ Berry Smith Doctoral Supervision Award.

The awards are presented by the School of Graduate Studies to a faculty member who, over a minimum 15-year period, has demonstrated graduate supervision excellence at the University of Toronto.  

According to her former student, Ina Anreiter – now an assistant professor at ��οScarborough’s department of biological sciences – Sokolowski is a mentor for life. “When Professor Sokolowski believes in someone,” says Anreiter, “she goes out of the way to support them in every way possible – and Marla Sokolowski always believes in her students.”

A member of the Faculty of Arts & Science’s department of ecology and evolutionary biology, Sokolowski is a pioneer in the field of behaviour genetics and has conducted foundational research into the interaction between genes and the environment, and how genetic tendencies are affected by the environment and experience. Her groundbreaking investigations into the genetic and molecular basis of individual differences in behaviour include the discovery of the foraging gene in Drosophila melanogaster, or fruit flies.

Over her career, Sokolowski has supervised 22 post-doctoral researchers, 23 PhD students and 15 master’s students. Of 168 refereed papers published by her research laboratory, 112 have included graduate student co-authors. Six of her former PhD students have gone on to faculty positions at U of T, Washington University in St Louis and Brown University. As a testament to her role in their careers, her students organized a special issue of the Journal of Neurogenetics in her honour.

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Chelsea Rochman recognized with 2021 Dorothy Shoichet Women Faculty in Science Award of Excellence

lanthierj — Thu, 16 Dec 2021 21:39:02 +0000

Chelsea Rochman recognized with 2021 Dorothy Shoichet Women Faculty in Science Award of Excellence

Research & Innovation

lanthierj Thu, 12/16/2021 - 16:39

Faculty

St. George

Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology

Dorothy Shoichet Women Faculty in Science Award of Excellence

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(Photo by Diana Tyszko)

For her pioneering work in the study of microplastics, Professor Chelsea Rochman of the department of ecology and evolutionary biology (EEB) has received a 2021 Dorothy Shoichet Women Faculty in Science Award of Excellence.

The award was established in 2016 by University Professor Molly Shoichet in honour of her late mother.

“Professor Rochman’s internationally recognized research into the environmental impacts of microplastics will yield unprecedented insight into their effect on ecosystem health and will play a major role in shaping international policy and legislation,” says Vince Tropepe, a professor in the department of cell and systems biology and the Faculty of Arts & Science’s vice dean, research.

“I am absolutely honoured to receive the award for a couple of reasons,” says Rochman. “First of all, I really admire Molly Schoichet’s work and career. Second, some extra time to focus on my research will allow me to give more of my focus to a large-scale experiment I am currently leading at the Experimental Lakes Area. This will be instrumental for a large collaborative project that will help narrow gaps in the knowledge about microplastics and inform local and global policies.”

Professor Stephen Wright, EEB chair, says Rochman is a trailblazing ecologist whose work has been groundbreaking in its characterization of the sources and ecological impacts of plastic pollution.

“Her work is not only revolutionizing our understanding of the effects of plastics and their interactions with other stressors on ecosystems, but her lab is also playing a major role in shaping international policy and legislation.”

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Martin Krkošek receives NSERC's E.W.R. Steacie Memorial Fellowship

lanthierj — Wed, 17 Nov 2021 17:59:21 +0000

Martin Krkošek receives NSERC's E.W.R. Steacie Memorial Fellowship

Research & Innovation

lanthierj Wed, 11/17/2021 - 12:59

Faculty

St. George

Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology

E.W.R. Steacie Memorial Fellowship

Faculty of Arts & Science

NSERC

landscape

(Photo by Brian Summers)

Martin Krkošek, an associate professor in the department of ecology and evolutionary biology at the University of Toronto’s Faculty of Arts & Science, has been awarded an E.W.R. Steacie Memorial Fellowship by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC).

Presented annually to up to six researchers, the award recognizes early-stage academic researchers in the natural sciences and engineering, enhancing their research capacity so that they can inspire and lead others.

A Canada Research Chair in population ecology, Krkošek sheds light on disease dynamics between wild and farmed salmon on Canada’s west coast. He collaborates with Indigenous communities, particularly with the Dzawada'enuxw and ‘Namgis First Nation, involving community members in his work.

"This award recognizes a collective effort of a community of students, collaborators, mentors and local peoples in the remote and unceded Kwakwakaʼwakw territory," says Krkošek. "I am exceptionally fortunate for this village that raised me as a mathematical and field biologist."

Krkošek’s “career and his vital research in this field are richly deserving of this support," says Melanie Woodin, dean of the Faculty of Arts & Science – a sentiment echoed by Professor Stephen Wright, who won the Steacie Fellowship in 2015 and who is now EEB chair: "This stellar achievement reflects the importance of his work for both broad ecological understanding and for fisheries management."

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Alumni win 2020 CAGS-ProQuest Distinguished Dissertation Awards

lanthierj — Fri, 09 Jul 2021 17:43:24 +0000

Alumni win 2020 CAGS-ProQuest Distinguished Dissertation Awards

Academic Achievement

lanthierj Fri, 07/09/2021 - 13:43

Alumni

St. George

Scarborough

Dalla Lana School of Public Health

Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology

Faculty of Arts & Science

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Ina Anreiter (L) and Hannah Kia

The University of Toronto’s Ina Anreiter and Hannah Kia have won the prestigious CAGS-ProQuest Distinguished Dissertation Awards for 2020 – marking the first time in the award’s 27-year history that students from the same institution have won both awards.

Administered by the Canadian Association for Graduate Studies and sponsored by ProQuest, the awards recognize Canadian doctoral dissertations that make unusually significant and original contributions to their academic communities and to Canadian society at large. They are given annually in two categories: engineering, medical sciences and natural sciences, and fine arts, humanities and social sciences.

Anreiter and Kia earned their PhDs in 2019. Anreiter, whose supervisor was University Professor Marla Sokolowski of the department of ecology and evolutionary biology, has accepted a position as assistant professor in the department of biological sciences at ��οScarborough. Kia, whose supervisor was Professor Lori E. Ross of the Dalla Lana School of Public Health, is an assistant professor at the University of British Columbia.

“To be recognized in both categories – an unprecedented honour – is a testament to the innovation and original thinking we have been able to foster at U of T,” says Charmaine Williams, acting dean of the School of Graduate Studies. “I’m incredibly proud of our students for their commitment and intellectual rigour, and incredibly grateful to the faculty, staff, and community members who make ��οsuch an enriching place.”

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Marie-Josée Fortin receives 2021 JJ Berry Smith Doctoral Supervision Award

lanthierj — Thu, 08 Jul 2021 20:16:49 +0000

Marie-Josée Fortin receives 2021 JJ Berry Smith Doctoral Supervision Award

Teaching

lanthierj Thu, 07/08/2021 - 16:16

Faculty

St. George

Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology

Faculty of Arts & Science

JJ Berry Smith Doctoral Supervision Award

School of Graduate Studies

landscape

(Photo by Diana Tyszko)

Marie-Josée Fortin, a University Professor in the Faculty of Arts & Science’s department of ecology and evolutionary biology, has been recognized with a 2021 JJ Berry Smith Doctoral Supervision Award.

The awards are presented by the School of Graduate Studies to a faculty member who, over a minimum 15-year period, has demonstrated graduate supervision excellence at the University of Toronto.  

Fortin investigates the role space plays in ecological processes, biodiversity and ecosystems. Known for saying “my success is in my students’ achievements,” Fortin has been inspiring graduate students for more than 25 years, advising or co-advising 60 doctoral students whose work has resulted in more than 90 research publications and almost 200 talks delivered in scientific meetings and symposia.

Fortin has been especially active in mentoring women in the biological sciences. Her doctoral students have gone onto careers in academia as well as NGOs and the private sector – and she is known for supporting her students long after they leave her lab.

“Although I had graduated from her lab several years previously, Marie-Josée was very involved in helping me prepare for my first academic job interview,” says one student. “She spent time with me ensuring that my job talk effectively highlighted my skills and achievements while tailoring my presentation to the expectations and needs of the hiring institution.”

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Marie-Josée Fortin appointed University Professor

lanthierj — Fri, 18 Jun 2021 17:53:36 +0000

Marie-Josée Fortin appointed University Professor

Research & Innovation

lanthierj Fri, 06/18/2021 - 13:53

Faculty

St. George

Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology

Faculty of Arts & Science

University Professor

Women in STEM

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Marie-Josée Fortin has been appointed a University Professor, an elite designation bestowed on a small number of University of Toronto faculty members for distinguished scholarly achievement and pre-eminence in their fields.

A professor in the department of ecology and evolutionary biology in the Faculty of Arts & Science, Fortin is recognized internationally as a leader in spatial ecology – the discipline that focuses on the study and modeling of the direct and indirect roles of space on ecological processes, biodiversity, and ecosystem services

“Marie-Josée Fortin pioneered the field of spatial analysis of ecology,” said Vice-President and Provost Cheryl Regehr. “She has devoted her career to the development of novel spatial statistics, quantitative methods, and spatially explicit simulation models in quantitative ecology.

“Her work is crucial for the conservation of global biodiversity and ecosystems in the face of climate and land use change.”

A fellow of the Royal Society of Canada, Fortin holds a Canada Research Chair in spatial ecology and is the author of the acclaimed monograph Spatial Analysis: A Guide for Ecologists (Cambridge University Press, 2005, 2014) and co-author of a new textbook, Spatial Ecology and Conservation: Concepts and Modeling with R. (Springer International Publishing).

Her many awards include: Ontario Premier’s Research Excellence Award; Thomson Reuters’ Highly Cited Researcher in Ecology/Environment; Outstanding Scientific Achievements Award (from the International Association for Landscape Ecology) and the Canadian Society for Ecology and Evolution President’s Award.

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Spencer Barrett recognized with Darwin-Wallace Medal

lanthierj — Thu, 29 Apr 2021 18:47:10 +0000

Spencer Barrett recognized with Darwin-Wallace Medal

Research & Innovation

Teaching

lanthierj Thu, 04/29/2021 - 14:47

Faculty

St. George

Faculty of Arts & Science

Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology

landscape

Barrett in the Pantanal region in Brazil in 2015

Spencer Barrett has received the prestigious Darwin-Wallace Medal from the Linnean Society of London.

The medal is named after Charles Darwin and Alfred Russell Wallace who independently developed the theory of evolution by natural selection.

“I’m quite chuffed and delighted. It’s an honour,” says Barrett, a University Professor Emeritus in the Faculty of Arts & Science’s department of ecology and evolutionary biology (EEB). “I’m a great admirer of both Darwin and Wallace … What’s more, I’m delighted to receive the honour because recipients of the medal have predominantly been zoologists.

“Not many botanists have received it.”

A leading authority on the reproductive biology and genetics of flowering plants, Barrett is also an internationally recognized expert on the ecology and genetics of plant invasions and the environmental consequences of genetically modified crops.

“Spencer Barrett’s research group has made wide-ranging contributions to our understanding of plant reproduction, spanning ecology and evolution to genetics and genomics,” says Stephen Wright, EEB chair.

The medal recognizes Barrett’s teaching and mentorship as well as his research. From 1990 to 2018, Barrett taught the award-winning introductory biology course, BIO 120, introducing tens of thousands of first-year students – including Wright who now teaches it – to evolutionary biology.

“We taught the students about the story of evolution and life on Earth and about Darwin and Wallace,” says Barrett. “I’m honoured to receive a medal bearing their names.”

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Chelsea Rochman receives Carolyn Tuohy Impact on Public Policy Award

lanthierj — Fri, 16 Apr 2021 19:03:53 +0000

Chelsea Rochman receives Carolyn Tuohy Impact on Public Policy Award

Community

lanthierj Fri, 04/16/2021 - 15:03

Faculty of Arts & Science

Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology

Carolyn Tuohy Impact on Public Policy Award

landscape

(Photo courtesy of Chelsea Rochman)

For her global leadership in microplastic pollution research and impact on science-based policy, Chelsea Rochman has received the Carolyn Tuohy Impact on Public Policy Award.

The honour is one of the Awards of Excellence presented by the University of Toronto Alumni Association in collaboration with the university. The prestigious program dates back to 1921 and recognizes outstanding faculty, staff and students.

An assistant professor in the department of ecology and evolutionary biology in the Faculty of Arts & Science, Rochman researches the sources, effects of and solutions to microplastic pollution, locally and globally. She leads a large, productive research lab of 28 trainees, including seven graduate students.

Rochman works globally to increase research capacity and communicate science to policy-makers. She also works with industry and government to shape public policy, providing testimony on Parliament Hill and serving as a scientific adviser to the G7 and the European Union.