Joanna Xu

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Honours Bachelor of Science in Biology • University of Toronto

Bio

Joanna graduated from the University of Toronto with a Bachelor of Science (Honours), specializing in Biology in 2024. Throughout her undergraduate career, she discovered her passion for ecology by interacting with the diverse environment local to the Mississauga campus, which led to the completion of her undergraduate thesis project. Joanna realized the interconnectivity between the environment and influence of human communities, where one shapes the future of the other, which inspired her to pursue a career in the ESG field.

With a deep understanding of the ecosystem from a biological and social perspective, Joanna has built a variety of experiences working in sustainability, from research to creating environmentally friendly  initiatives in the industry. During her undergraduate, she produced a comprehensive thesis paper which assessed the effects of urbanization on flight capable invertebrates to observe any shifts in functional composition of these insect communities throughout multiple stormwater management ponds across the GTA. In her current role as a Quality Assurance Technician, she shows her commitment to drive positive change in local SMEs through the creation of a more sustainable disposal SOP within the company. She continues to deepen her knowledge of ESG services through her summer internship with the United Nations Global Compact Network Canada to learn firsthand how organizations can urge companies and SMEs to incorporate SDGs in their business model. Here, she analyzed sustainability reports from over 200 companies and SMEs to report on areas which companies and SMEs lack commitment to in order to develop future sustainability programming. 

In her free time, Joanna loves being around nature by regularly bird watching or listening to her audiobooks on her walks around the GTA. Outside of weight lifting, she has played volleyball since she was 12 and has recently uptaken tennis and golf with her friends. Joanna is ecstatic to see where her journey as a MScSM student takes her and to build relationships with the people she will meet in the near future.