Melanie Woodin
Melanie Woodin | |
|---|---|
 Woodin in 2021 | |
| 17th President of the University of Toronto | |
| Assumed office July 1, 2025 | |
| Preceded by | Meric Gertler |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Montreal, Canada |
| Education | University of Toronto (BSc, MSc) University of Calgary (PhD) |
| Profession |
|
| Website | discover |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Neuroscience |
| Institutions | University of Toronto |
| Thesis | The role of trophic factors in synapse formation and plasticity between identified Lymnaea neurons (2001) |
Melanie Woodin is a Canadian neuroscientist who is serving as the 17th president of the University of Toronto.[1][2][3] She is the university's first female president.[4] Woodin previously served as Dean of the Faculty of Arts & Science at University of Toronto, a position she began in 2019.[5]
Life and career
Woodin graduated from the University of Toronto in 1995 with a Bachelor of Science in biology and a Master of Science in zoology in 1997.[6] In 2001, she completed her Ph.D. in neuroscience from the University of Calgary, then completed her postdoctoral studies at the University of California, Berkeley.[7]
Woodin joined the University of Toronto as assistant professor in the Department of Zoology in 2004.[8] She established the Woodin Lab which she continues to lead.[9]
She has served as the Associate Chair, Undergraduate Studies (Cell & Systems Biology 2014–15), Director of the Human Biology Program (2015–17), Associate Dean, Undergraduate Studies and Academic Planning (2018), and the Vice-Dean, Interdivisional Partnerships in the Faculty of Arts & Science (2019).[6][10]
She serves on the board of directors at the Vector Institute for Artificial Intelligence.[11] She is a member of the Canadian Brain Research Strategy leadership and was the President of the Canadian Association for Neuroscience, an association dedicated to advancing brain research.[12]
She was elected the 17th president of the University of Toronto in 2025 and has held the role since July 1, 2025.[3]
Awards and honours
In 2014, Woodin was named Neuroscience Alumnus of the Year by the Hotchkiss Brain Institute at the University of Calgary.[13] In 2022, she received the Alumni of Distinction Award from the Cumming School of Medicine.[14]
She has been a Senior Fellow of the University of Toronto's Massey College since 2019.[15]
References
- ^ "About". Office of the President. Retrieved 2025-07-28.
- ^ "Neuroscientist Melanie Woodin named as University of Toronto's 17th president | Globalnews.ca". Global News. Retrieved 2025-03-26.
- ^ a b "U of T's first female president says she will lead with ambition despite headwinds". Yahoo! News. Retrieved 2025-04-25.
- ^ Friesen, Joe (2025-03-26). "University of Toronto names Melanie Woodin as school's first female president". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved 2025-03-26.
- ^ "University of Toronto appoints first female president". Toronto Star. 2025-03-26. Retrieved 2025-03-26.
- ^ a b "Melanie Woodin U of T Discover Research profile". discover.research.utoronto.ca. Retrieved 2024-01-10.
- ^ "Reappointment of Professor Melanie Woodin as Dean, Faculty of Arts & Science". Faculty of Arts & Science. 2023-10-11. Retrieved 2025-03-26.
- ^ "In photos: Melanie Woodin's first 48 hours after being named U of T's president-designate | University of Toronto". www.utoronto.ca. Retrieved 2025-03-28.
- ^ "Dean, Faculty of Arts & Science". Faculty of Arts & Science. 2019-06-27. Retrieved 2024-01-10.
- ^ "Reappointment of Professor Melanie Woodin as Dean, Faculty of Arts & Science". Communications for Academic Administrators - University of Toronto. 2023-10-11. Retrieved 2024-10-17.
- ^ "Team". Vector Institute for Artificial Intelligence. Retrieved 2025-04-14.
- ^ "CAN Presidents". Canadian Association for Neuroscience. 2025-04-25. Retrieved 2025-04-25.
- ^ "HBI Alumni of the Year Award - Past Recipients | Hotchkiss Brain Institute | University of Calgary". hbi.ucalgary.ca. Retrieved 2025-04-14.
- ^ "Awards - Alumni of Distinction | Cumming School of Medicine | University of Calgary". University of Calgary, Cumming School of Medicine. Retrieved 2025-04-14.
- ^ "New Senior Fellows and Quadranglers Annouced [sic] – Massey College". Retrieved 2024-01-10.
External links
- Melanie Woodin publications indexed by Google Scholar