John Smol is a biology professor at Queen’s University, where he also holds the Canada Research Chair in Environmental Change. Dr. Smol founded and co-directs the Paleoecological Environmental Assessment and Research Lab (PEARL), a group of over 30 students and other scientists dedicated to the study of long-term global environmental change, and especially as it relates to lake ecosystems. An ISI Highly Cited Researcher, Smol has authored over 450 journal publications and chapters since 1980, as well as completed 19 books. He was the founding Editor of the international Journal of Paleolimnology (1987-2007) and is the current Editor of the journal Environmental Reviews. Since 1990 he has been awarded over 45 research and teaching awards and fellowships, including the 2004 NSERC Herzberg Gold Medal as Canada’s top scientist or engineer. He has won 10 teaching, mentoring and outreach awards, including a 3M National Teaching Fellowship, and was chosen by Nature magazine (London, UK), following a nation-wide search, to be Canada’s Top Mid-Career Scientific Mentor. In 2013, the Governor General of Canada named John an Officer of the Order of Canada.