Joann K. Whalen is a Professor and William Dawson Scholar at McGill University and an Adjunct Professor with the Northeast Institute of Geography and Agroecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences. She received her Ph.D. from Ohio State University (USA) and worked as a research scientist for Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada prior to joining the faculty at McGill. Dr. Whalen is also a professional agronomist (agronome) in Quebec, Canada. Her research focuses on the soil fertility and soil ecological health of agroecosystems. She has published more than 160 peer-reviewed scientific publications and supervised/co-supervised more than 50 students at the M.Sc. and Ph.D. levels. She teaches courses in soil fertility, nutrient management planning and soil ecology. Dr. Whalen is senior author of the textbook "Soil Ecology and Management" published in 2010 by CABI Publishers and editor of “Soil Fertility Improvement and Integrated Nutrient Management: a Global Perspective”, an open-access e-book published in 2012 that presents 15 invited chapters written by leading soil fertility experts from more than 20 countries. Dr. Whalen was elected President of the Canadian Society of Soil Science in 2016.

Soils support life – they are the medium in which food is grown to feed people and animals. Soil is alive – it is the home to billions of microscopic and macroscopic creatures that form a rich, diverse foodweb with capacity to sustain ecological health. The Soil Ecology group at McGill makes discoveries about the hidden life of the soil, and suggests methods of agricultural management that rely on the natural functions of soil biota to produce food in a manner that is economically sound and environmentally friendly.