Patricia Romero-Lankao

Professor Paty Romero-Lankao is a Canadian Excellence in Research Chair at the University of Toronto Scarborough, and she was a distinguished research scientist at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory. Paty examines crucial interactions among people and climate in many cities worldwide. She applies a transdisciplinary lens and community-engagement approach to her research on sustainability transitions, bringing social science perspectives to a field traditionally dominated by the natural sciences and engineering. Paty is widely cited in her field. As of July 2023, her record includes 148 peer-reviewed publications. She was the co-leading author of Working Group II of the Nobel Prize-winning IPCC Fourth Assessment Report. She is leading the social and policy approaches to LA100 Equity Strategies. This high social impact project, which involves a community-informed analysis of equity strategies for Los Angeles, can shed light on other cities and states transitioning to 100% clean energy while also centring on justice and the needs of underrepresented populations.