Janani Sivarajah

Janani Sivarajah is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Wood and Forest Sciences at Université Laval's Faculty of Forestry and Geomatics. She holds the Research Chair on Urban Trees and their Environment (CRAUM) and is a Regular Member of the Centre for Forest Research (CEF) since 2024. Her work focuses on transdisciplinary, applied research to build sustainable and resilient communities through nature-based solutions for urban environments.

Dr. Sivarajah earned her PhD in Forestry specializing in Urban Forestry, MFC in Forest Conservation, and HBSc in Integrative Biology and French, all from the University of Toronto. She has over 8 years of professional experience in the urban forestry sector and non-profit organizations in Ontario.

Her research spans five key themes: construction activities on urban trees (including root cutting impacts), urban soils (Maguire Avenue studies, technosols, biochar), climate change mitigation (assisted migration), urban tree inventory and management (participatory science, interactive mapping), and tropical forests. She examines how urban trees improve human health and well-being while addressing challenges like soil degradation and climate change impacts.

Her recent publications (2018-2024) demonstrate a strong focus on practical applications of urban forestry research, with emphasis on tree stability in urban settings, UV protection benefits, soil science innovations, and community engagement with urban forests. Her work bridges academic research with practical implementation through collaborations with municipalities, practitioners, and communities.

Dr. Sivarajah actively mentors graduate students, currently supervising one PhD candidate (Md Ahosan Habib Ador) and four Master's students (Dominic Bartolacci, Savannah Bissegger O'Connor, Tommy Gonthier, Ravosoa Tianarinoro Ramaroson), while co-advising Jeremy Latulippe. She previously directed Clément Pallafray's 2023 Master's thesis on root cutting impacts.

She leads the Sivarajah Lab, which is affiliated with CRAUM and focuses on transdisciplinary research at the science-policy interface. The lab has been active in media engagement, with recent interviews on CBC, BBC, and radio programs discussing urban forestry topics like the emerald ash borer. The lab also contributes to training initiatives such as the NASER program focused on urban soils and greening.