Dr. Ellorie McKnight (she/her) is a bilingual (fr/en) climate change researcher, educator, and artist who is passionate about confronting the climate crisis and working towards a resilient, just, and better future.
Her climate background includes a BA Honours in Environmental Studies and Biology (University of Ottawa, 2012) and a PhD in Ecology focusing on climate change, northern limnology, and reconciliation in research (University of Alberta, 2021). Between degrees, Ellorie worked as a Research Assistant on various arctic climate science research projects, including caribou ecology in Greenland, vegetation ecology in Alaska, as well as permafrost and hydrology research in Yukon. She also worked as a Climate Change and Water Quality Scientist for the Yukon Government, contributing to trend analyses of territorial water and climate data, as well as developing frameworks for collaborative monitoring. As a continuation of her PhD, Ellorie co-leads the long-term monitoring of Yukon’s largest lake (Lhù’ààn Mân) to better understand impacts of climate change on thermal dynamics of northern lakes and support policy that works to protect these key ecosystems and their functions.
In recent years, Ellorie’s interests and priorities have pivoted towards climate education, communication, and policy. Working as Outreach Climatologist with the Climate Change Research group at YukonU, she offers climate knowledge training and climate action support to a variety of Yukon and Northern audiences, including youth, educators, government staff, and decision-makers. Her background and teaching experience in outdoor and environmental learning guide her educational practice which emphasizes reflection, worldview awareness, and climate action using a systems-thinking and justice-centered approach. Ellorie also sits as the Environment and Climate Change Advisor for Take Me Outside, a national nonprofit aiming to transform education through outdoor learning.
With her artist hat on, Ellorie is a singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist who proudly performs and tours her own music with an all-female band. She is actively exploring the integration of climate work into her art, recently collaborating with award-winning Canadian musicians and organizations to coordinate and amplify climate advocacy.
Ellorie’s current research interests focus on climate education, communication, policy, governance, justice and law. She is also passionate about local food security, fostering community, spending time in nature with friends and family, enjoying good coffee, and skiing.