Plenary Speaker 2012

We are pleased to have Dr. Nancy Doubleday as this year's Plenary Speaker.

Dr. Nancy Doubleday has been described as “one of those rare scholars that fits into the interdisciplinary framework in which Peace Studies finds itself” which speaks to her position as the Hope Chair in Peace and Health at McMaster University.

In addition to her first degree, a B.Sc., (Honours) (1976) from Brock University in Biological Sciences, she holds a B.Ed. from University of Toronto, a MES in Environmental Studies from York University, and a Ph.D., in Biology from Queen’s University. As well as having expertise in ecological sciences, Nancy also holds an LLB from Osgoode Hall, and was called to the Bar of Ontario in 1985.

Nancy has shared her knowledge and love of nature with others as a park naturalist in Algonquin Park, as a canoe guide and outdoor educator, and as a lawyer she has contributed to the development of international and domestic law embracing human rights, health and the environment.

Dr. Doubleday works at the interface of human rights and social justice, resilience and health, to develop new syntheses and strategies for realizing peace, health, good governance and knowledge integration.  Currently she chairs the Cold Region Environments Commission of the International Geographical Union and has recently completed a major International Polar Year research project addressing human experience of impacts of a changing tree line to better understand change and adaptive capacity in social-cultural-ecological systems.

Examples of her experience include: early work to establish conservation easements in Ontario for the Niagara Escarpment area; development of co-management regimes under northern comprehensive claims; and research exploring patterns of long-term environmental change and adaptive human activity in relation to local-to-global policy development.

Prior to joining the Department of Philosophy and the Office of Interdisciplinary Studies at McMaster in 2009 Nancy had been a faculty member at Carleton University since 1994.