By Sean McNeely

University Professor Marie-Josée Fortin, an internationally recognized leader in the fields of spatial ecology and ecological networks, has won the prestigious 2026 Killam Prize for Natural Sciences from the Canada Council for the Arts.

“I must say I was stunned,” says Fortin; “I was so surprised when I received the email because it’s so competitive.” Initially, she hadn’t considered applying but was encouraged by the Faculty of Arts & Science, led by a nomination by the former U of T president Meric Gertler.

Considered Canada’s most distinguished award for career achievements in research, the Killam Prizes are awarded annually to Canadian scholars who have distinguished themselves through sustained research excellence, making a significant contribution and impact in the humanities, social sciences, natural sciences, health sciences and engineering.

Fortin’s research integrates concepts and analytical methodologies from the fields of ecology, geography, and statistics. It has resulted in novel, sophisticated spatial statistics and modeling frameworks that address the spatial complexity of ecological data, having profound impacts both within and beyond the field of ecology.

Fortin’s research has served as the foundation of numerous initiatives by researchers, government agencies, and conservation authorities to tackle threats to biodiversity posed by climate change and habitat loss.

Her work has transformed how ecologists and environmentalists understand the spatial ecology of species and communities across terrestrial, freshwater, and marine ecosystems. Her work also offers analytical concepts and tools to measure the impacts of climate change and global changes in biodiversity and biome distributions, leading to evidence-based strategies to mitigate these impacts. Hence, her research has served as the foundation of numerous initiatives by researchers, government agencies, and conservation authorities to tackle threats to biodiversity posed by climate change and habitat loss.

For example, her important work in spatial ecology includes tracing range shifts of birds and trees; changes in freshwater species interactions; and the decline of sharks and coral reefs in marine ecosystems.

Fortin holds the Canada Research Chair in Spatial Ecology (Tier 1) and is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada. She has published more than 300 peer-reviewed scientific articles, five books and 33 book chapters.

The Killam Prize adds to a long list of honours. Some of her recent awards include being elected a Fellow of the Ecological Society of America in 2023 and named the National Champion for Canada for the Frontiers Planet Prize the same year. In 2024, she was awarded the Massey Medal from the Royal Canadian Geographic Society. And in 2025, she received the Konrad Adenauer Research Award from the Humboldt Foundation.

“We at the faculty couldn’t be more excited to congratulate Marie-Josée on receiving the esteemed Killam Prize,” says Stephen Wright, interim dean of the Faculty of Arts & Science.

“Fortin’s research has elevated spatial ecology to a valuable and impactful discipline with critical applications to enhance our understanding of how to protect and conserve our planet’s ecosystems. She couldn’t be more deserving of this award.”

“The passion I have for research is something that translates into the training of students. This is the best part of my career.”

“Professor Fortin has created tools that help us find patterns in nature not seen before, patterns of spatial distribution that maintain biodiversity in a multitude of environments,” adds Joel Levine, chair of the Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology. Just recently, he was reminded of the immense impact of these tools not just for the field itself but also for its individual members. “At a conference, more than one biologist admitted that without the brilliant tools developed by Marie-Josée, they would not have been able to ask the questions in their own work that ultimately saw them inducted as a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada, or other, similarly remarkable successes,” says Levine.

Fortin plans to use the $100,000 prize to focus on long-delayed publications and collaborative projects. “I’ve been in this line of work for many years,” she says. “As researchers, we all have our little stack of projects and papers that we would like to publish. This could be an incentive to publish those projects that are always being pushed to the back burner.”

With such a long list of awards and accolades, does she ever stand back and reflect on all that she’s accomplished? Not really. There’s no time. “I only reflect when I write a grant proposal,” she says, adding jokingly, “And when I do that, I stop and think, ‘No wonder I’m so tired.’”

While Fortin is delighted with the Killam Prize, she maintains that her true passion is mentoring students. “They’re the next generation,” she stresses. “The passion I have for research is something that translates into the training of students. This is the best part of my career, as I can see directly the impacts of my teaching and mentoring through their scientific journey to become the next generation of ecologists and scientists.”

A version of this piece was originally published on March 11, 2026, on University of Toronto A & S News.