Melanie Woodin

Widely respected as a scholar, teacher, mentor and administrator, President Woodin is a Professor in the Department of Cell & Systems Biology and former Dean of the University’s Faculty of Arts & Science. She is dedicated to enriching student life by advancing innovative teaching, fostering inclusive communities, and supporting career development—exemplified by her launch of the Arts & Science Internship Program (ASIP). Under her leadership, the Faculty’s Acceleration Consortium was awarded $200 million — the largest federal research grant awarded to a university in Canadian history.

She is renowned for her multidisciplinary approach to examining synaptic communication in the brain and has authored or co-authored more than 50 academic papers and book chapters. She and her research team are unravelling mechanisms that lead to neurological disorders and diseases, including autism spectrum disorder, Huntington’s disease and ALS. She has received research funding from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada, Canadian Institutes of Health Research, and Simons Foundation Autism Research Initiative, among others.

She serves on the board of several organizations, including SickKids, and is a past director of the Vector Institute and past president of the Canadian Association for Neuroscience.