Jennifer Spence

Jennifer Spence is an Associate of the Belfer Center's Arctic Initiative and the Eddie Goldenberg Research Chair of Canada in Arctic Governance and Community Resilience at the University of Ottawa.

Spence is an internationally recognized scholar-practitioner specializing in Arctic governance, climate resilience and international research cooperation. Her research examines how governance institutions respond to environmental and geopolitical change while sustaining international cooperation and supporting northern and Indigenous communities. 

Before joining the University of Ottawa, Spence served as Director of the Belfer Center's Arctic Initiative. She previously served as Executive Secretary of the Arctic Council’s Sustainable Development Working Group and has held research and teaching positions at Carleton University and the Centre for International Governance Innovation. Her career also includes senior public-sector and policy roles in Canada and with the United Nations Development Programme. 

Her scholarship has contributed to international debates on Arctic governance, science diplomacy and Indigenous participation in Arctic decision-making. She has led and contributed to collaborative Arctic research initiatives mobilizing more than US$42 million and has supervised or mentored more than 40 graduate students and postdoctoral fellows.