Marie-Josée Fortin

Marie-Josée Fortin (born October 21, 1958) is an ecologist and Professor in the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at the University of Toronto. Fortin holds the Tier 1 Canada Research Chair in Spatial Ecology at the University of Toronto. In 2016, she was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada. Education and career Fortin completed her BSc in biological sciences (1983) and her MSc in numerical ecology (1986) at the Université de Montréal, where she conducted research under Pierre Legendre. These subjects include disciplines such as spatially-explicit modeling, spatial epidemiology, forest ecology, network theory, landscape genetics and geography. This research focuses on the maintenance of biodiversity within ecosystems and appropriate conservation strategies for species affected by land use and climate change.

Select awards and honours 2026: Killam Prize in Natural Sciences 2025: Miroslaw Romanowski Medal from the Royal Society of Canada 2023: Fellow of the Ecological Society of America 2016: Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada 2015: Outstanding Scientific Achievements Award from the International Association for Landscape Ecology. 2014: ISI Highly Cited Researcher in Ecology/Environment, Thomson Reuters 2013: Distinguished Landscape Ecologist Award (US Regional Association of the International Association for Landscape Ecology). 2002–2007: Premier's Research Excellence Award, Ontario (PREA). 2002–2007, 2009, 2010, 2012–2014, 2016, 2017: Dean's Excellence Award, Faculty Arts and Science, University of Toronto. 2001: Women in Geomatics Mentor Award. GEOIDE 3rd Annual Meeting, Fredericton.