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Distinguished University Professor and Canada Research Chair in Environmental Change, Queen's University, Ontario

JOHN P. SMOL, OC, PhD, FRSC, FRS is a Distinguished University Professor of biology at Queen’s University (Kingston, Ontario), where he also holds the Canada Research Chair in Environmental Change. Smol founded and co-directs the Paleoecological Environmental Assessment and Research Lab (PEARL), a group of ~40 students and other scientists dedicated to the study of long-term global environmental change, and especially as it relates to lake ecosystems. John has authored ~620 journal publications and chapters since 1980, as well as completed 21 books (with 3 more in preparation). Much of his research deals with the impacts of climatic change, acidification, eutrophication, contaminant transport, and other environmental stressors. John is a frequent commentator on environmental issues for radio, television, and the print media. Smol was the founding Editor of the J. Paleolimnology (1987-2007) and is current Editor of Environmental Reviews. Since 1990 John has received 6 honorary doctorates and has been awarded >70 research and teaching awards and fellowships, including the 2004 NSERC Herzberg Gold Medal as Canada’s top scientist or engineer and the International Ecology Institute Prize. Amongst his 15 teaching and outreach awards, he was named a 3M Teaching Fellow and, following a nation-wide search, Nature chose John as Canada’s Top Mid-Career Science Mentor. In 2013, he was named an Officer of the Order of Canada for his environmental work and in 2018 a Fellow of the Royal Society (London). He was recently elected President of the Academy of Science, Royal Society of Canada.

Experience

  • –present
    Distinguished University Professor and Canada Research Chair in Environmental Change, Queen's University, Ontario

Education

  • 1984 
    Queen's University, Biology

Honours

OC, FRS, FRSC