Marie-Josée Fortin appointed University Professor
Published: June 18, 2021
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.
