Nicole Klenk is an Associate Professor of Environmental Studies in the Department of Physical and Environmental Sciences at the University of Toronto. Her academic background is in botany and forest ecology.
It was through her PhD that Nicole became interested in the role of science in addressing complex environmental problems such as climate change. Her research subsequently expanded to investigate the role of environmental science in society and the ethics, politics, and governance of knowledge creation and use.
Nicole has applied her thinking to the areas of forestry, biodiversity conservation, and especially climate change adaptation, working in settings across the Americas, from Columbia to the Canadian Arctic.
Over the last five years, Nicole has brought together her academic skills and her passion for fibre arts by conducting research in Ontario, Scotland, and England and Wales on the resurgence of wool industries.
Nicole spent several months travelling and researching the wool value-chain from sheep farmers to wool festivals in Scotland to learn about place-based wool cultures and how wool tourism can help revitalize local knowledge, traditional skills, and livelihoods. As an award-winning spinner and avid knitter and weaver, Nicole is keen to support the sustainable development of local wool economies.