Meric S. Gertler recently concluded a 12-year term as the 16th President of the University of Toronto, where he continues to serve as Professor in the Munk School of Global Affairs & Public Policy, Distinguished Scholar-in-Residence in the School of Cities, Professor of Geography & Planning, and Goldring Chair in Canadian Studies. Prior to taking on the role of President, he served as Dean of the Faculty of Arts & Science at U of T.
While President, Professor Gertler championed the University of Toronto’s role as a city-builder and leader in sustainability, for which it was recognized as the number one university in the world by QS World University Rankings: Sustainability in both 2024 and 2025.
An expert on urban economies, local and national innovation policy, and the role of institutions in economic development, he has advised governments in Canada, the United States and Singapore, as well as the OECD and the European Union.
He has authored or edited nine books, and has held visiting appointments at the University of Oxford, University College London, UCLA, and the University of Oslo. A graduate of McMaster University, the University of California, Berkeley, and Harvard University, he has received honorary doctorates from Lund University, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, and the University of Montréal. He is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada, the Royal Canadian Geographical Society, the Academy of Social Sciences (UK), and a Corresponding Fellow of the British Academy. President Gertler was appointed to the Order of Canada in 2015.
Professor Gertler has served as Chair of both Universities Canada and U15 Canada. He is a former trustee of the Hospital for Sick Children (Toronto), and director of the MaRS Discovery District and Canada’s Business Higher Education Roundtable. He currently serves on the international advisory board for Uppsala University, Sweden.