Irena Creed

Professor Irena Creed was appointed Vice-Principal Research and Innovation of the University of Toronto Scarborough in July of 2021.  Irena was the former Associate Vice-President Research at the University of Saskatchewan. She also remains an adjunct professor at University of Saskatchewan, Western University and also holds adjunct appointments at the University of Guelph and the United Nations University Institute for Water, Environment, and Health.

Irena did her undergraduate and graduate studies at the University of Toronto. Irena graduated with honors with a Bachelor of Science in Zoology with a minor in Botany. She then went on to pursue a Master of Science in Botany and Environmental Sciences, and finally, a PhD in Geography. Irena then became a Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of Alberta where she studied forest management strategies and their impacts on surrounding ecosystems.

Irena’s research team, together with collaborators from government, industry and an international network of scientists, study the impacts of global change (climate change, atmospheric pollution, and land use/land cover change) on ecosystem structure, function and services. Her work has been recognized with many awards and honours, including receiving an honorary doctorate from the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences in Uppsala, Sweden, being inducted as a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada in 2019, and receiving the Bancroft Award from the Royal Society of Canada for outstanding publication, instruction, and research in the earth sciences that have contributed to public understanding and appreciation.