Concordia University

Born in Scotland, Tara Wood, BSc, MA grew up on the shores of Lake Huron within the traditional treaty territory of the Saugeen Ojibway Nation and the traditional harvesting territory of the Métis Nation of Ontario (Region 7) and the Historic Saugeen Métis. She attended Concordia University in Tiohtià:ke / Montréal QC where her undergraduate degree in Biology coupled with an Honours in Religions and Cultures sparked her interest in science communication, especially as it concerns audiences of diverse cultural and religious backgrounds. Tara’s undergraduate thesis was Vaccine Hesitancy Among Religious Communities and its Implication for Science Communication in the Context of the COVID-19 Pandemic. Having focused on conservation biology, Tara participated in a service trip to the Galápagos Islands where she saw first-hand the impacts of climate change and made this a focus of her Master’s degree from Concordia University’s department of Religions and Cultures; her thesis was entitled Public Knowledge of Climate Change in Canada - A Study of Canadian Climate Academics' and Science Communicators Perspectives. Tara was co-chair of the 29th Annual Graduate Interdisciplinary Conference (AGIC), a settler member of the Concordia Department of Religions and Cultures Equity & Diversity Committee and a two-time Concordia Merit Scholarship recipient. She enjoys teaching, LEGO, travel, hockey, and looking after her rescue cats. Tara is currently exploring PhD programs that will advance her research at the intersection of science communication, emerging technologies and religious and cultural dynamics.