The University of Toronto’s Faculty of Kinesiology and Physical Education is pleased to announce the appointment of Madeleine Orr to the position of assistant professor, sociocultural studies of physical activity and health. The appointment begins on September 1, 2023.
Orr’s work bridges sport management, natural resource science, and environmental policy research. She is recognized for her theoretical contribution in establishing sport ecology as an area of study.
Orr completed her PhD at the University of Minnesota in 2020. From 2019 to 2021, she served as assistant professor of sport management at the State University of New York at Cortland. Following a post-doctoral fellowship at the University of British Columbia, she served as a lecturer in the Institute for Sport Business at Loughborough University, London.
“Dr. Orr’s research focuses on climate vulnerability and adaptation among organizations in the sport and recreation sector,” said Gretchen Kerr, dean of the Faculty of Kinesiology and Physical Education. “It highlights the inseparable connections between climate change and social inequities. As a sport ecologist, she measures the impacts of sport on climate and the role of athletes as climate activists—both areas of great importance to our field.”
Orr is known for excellent, productive transdisciplinary research, public scholarship, global partnership development and effective teaching and mentorship. She has been named to the Forbes 30 Under 30 (Sports Category), the Top 30 Under 30 in Sustainability (Corporate Knights Magazine) Environmental Education’s Top 30 under 30 and is a Future of Canada Fellow (2023-24).
“Climate change is impacting lives and livelihoods all over the world,” said Orr. “I get to stare down big, complicated challenges like air pollution and extreme heat, and figure out how to keep athletes safe in those conditions and how to keep sport fun despite the environmental challenges.”
Orr was drawn to KPE because of its highly-regarded transdisciplinary approach to sport and physical activity. “My work is ‘outside-the-box’ for academia, so I’m excited to be working in an environment where transdisciplinary work is valued,” she said.
Furthermore, she adds: “Toronto is home. I’m excited to work in the same building where I grew up playing water polo!”