University Professor Marie-Josée Fortin, an internationally recognized leader in the field of spatial ecology and ecological networks, has won the prestigious 2025 Miroslaw Romanowski Medal from the Royal Society of Canada.

The Romanowski Medal has been awarded annually by the society since 1994 for significant research into overcoming environmental challenges or for important improvements to the quality of an ecosystem in all aspects — terrestrial, atmospheric and aqueous.

A member of the Faculty of Arts & Science’s Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, Fortin holds the Canada Research Chair in Spatial Ecology (Tier 1) and is a Fellow of the Royal Society. She has published more than 280 peer-reviewed scientific articles, five books and 33 book chapters, and adds the medal to a long list of honours.

“Receiving the Romanowski Medal is a tremendous honor that recognizes my lifelong effort to address urgent environmental issues in both terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems,” says Fortin. “In addition, this recognition allows me to share my insights through a series of lectures that accompany the honour.”

According to Joel Levine, chair of the department, “Marie-Josée has served as a visionary lens maker for decades — harnessing the power of spatial analysis, statistics and modeling to illuminate how climate change and land-use shifts impact the inhabitants of terrestrial, freshwater and marine ecosystems. Her research in spatial ecology has helped solve real environmental and ecological problems facing different species. We are deeply honored and proud of her remarkable achievements, and extend heartfelt congratulations and wish her continued success.”

“Professor Fortin’s spatial ecology research has made tremendous impact throughout her career,” says Stephen Wright, interim dean of the Faculty of Arts & Science. “Today, this work only grows in relevance given the ecological changes brought about by climate change. We are excited to congratulate her on receiving the society’s esteemed Romanowski Medal.”

The medal is being awarded in recognition of Fortin’s work in providing critical knowledge and analytical tools for the conservation of biodiversity. Her research has revolutionized how to predict species dispersal and persistence in dynamic fragmented landscapes, providing critical knowledge for biodiversity conservation — a global issue requiring urgent attention.

Her research in spatial ecology and ecological networks provided conceptual and applicable conservation solutions to maintain species movement — dispersal and migration — in fragmented landscapes as well as species interactions and ecosystem functions. These insights are particularly important with today’s changes in natural disturbances such as fires, insect outbreaks and droughts; as well as human disturbances such as land-use changes and climate change.

By A&S News