“I became a scientist because I wanted to make a difference,” says Professor Jeremy Kerr, who was elected as a Fellow of the extremely prestigious American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) in 2021. Scientists, engineers, and innovators worldwide, from Thomas Edison to Nobel Prize winners, have been elected to the AAAS since 1874 in recognition of their globally significant scientific accomplishments. It is a signal honour for one of uOttawa’s leading researchers to be joining their ranks.
Prof. Kerr was elected as a Fellow for his work on understanding how climate and land use changes affect the survival prospects of species across scales ranging from individual habitats to entire continents.
Prof. Kerr believes that scientists must learn to communicate effectively for broad, diverse audiences. “One of the greatest threats to democratic societies is the rise of mis- and disinformation, but scientists have a critical role in defending evidence and promoting the value of discovery to society and the world around us,” Prof. Kerr says. He has made a practice of doing exactly that through his career, and has won many awards for celebrating his research impact as well as his prolific work with national and international media. He is also a celebrated leader in citizen (or participatory) science, and he co-founded eButterfly at uOttawa (2011), which inspired a series of spin-off projects, like Mission Monarch, BumblebeeWatch, and eTick.
Seeking ways to make progress on practical problems, Prof. Kerr has become intensively engaged in policy in various forms. He helped shape the science behind laws like the Ontario Endangered Species Act, the Far North Act, and the federal Species At Risk Act (SARA). He helped create and establish federal policies to advance equity, diversity, and inclusion in Canadian science. He was appointed by Federal Cabinet to serve on Council for the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada and by the Minister of Health as a member of a key scientific advisory panel. But he has also been one of Canada’s most prominent contributors to the defence of scientific integrity, contributing extensively through writing but also public speaking, including at demonstrations on Parliament Hill.
“I love research but especially those moments when I see how hard work leads to making a difference for others or for the environment. That’s central to why I do this work,” says Prof. Kerr about his many contributions to improving policies and laws around science and nature protection.
Prof. Kerr notes that his ability to have such an impact ultimately depends on research excellence, which was the foundation of his induction as a Fellow of the AAAS. He hopes that his growing involvement with organizations like the AAAS can help him make an even broader difference in the future.
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