Melanie Woodin
Dean Melanie Woodin is on leave April 15 to June 30, 2025. For decanal inquiries, please contact the office of Acting Dean Stephen Wright.
Professor Melanie Woodin began her first term as Dean of Arts & Science on July 1, 2019, and was reappointed for a second term from July 1, 2024 to December 30, 2029.
One of the most comprehensive academic divisions in the world, the Faculty of Arts & Science is a global hub for research, teaching and innovation. Under Professor Woodin’s leadership, the Faculty is leveraging its interdisciplinary strengths toward exceptional outcomes. During her tenure, the Faculty’s Acceleration Consortium was awarded $200 million—the largest federal research grant awarded to a university in Canadian history. She also oversaw the development of new centres for African Studies and Caribbean Studies, the elevation of the Centre for Indigenous Studies and the creation of the Online Learning Academy.
Professor Woodin’s vision is to transform the student experience—both inside and outside the classroom. She has supported the redesign of student spaces, expanded College-based registrarial supports, and oversaw the development and launch of new academic programs including the Arts & Science Internship Program.
She completed her BSc and MSc at the University of Toronto, and obtained her PhD from the University of Calgary. Following postdoctoral study at the University of California, Berkeley, she joined the University of Toronto in 2004 as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Zoology. She was promoted to full professor in 2017 in the Department of Cell & Systems Biology.
An accomplished scientist, Professor Woodin’s research focuses on understanding how the brain functions by studying neuronal circuits and the mechanisms underlying learning and memory. She has received research funding from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada, Canadian Institutes of Health Research, Simons Foundation Autism Research Initiative and Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Society of Canada, among others.
Professor Woodin also serves on the Board of Directors at the Vector Institute and is the President of the Canadian Association for Neuroscience.