The Most Famous
BIOLOGISTS from Canada
This page contains a list of the greatest Canadian Biologists. The pantheon dataset contains 841 Biologists, 9 of which were born in Canada. This makes Canada the birth place of the 19th most number of Biologists behind Belgium and Spain.
Top 9
The following people are considered by Pantheon to be the most legendary Canadian Biologists of all time. This list of famous Canadian Biologists is sorted by HPI (Historical Popularity Index), a metric that aggregates information on a biography’s online popularity.
1. Ralph M. Steinman (1943 - 2011)
With an HPI of 60.44, Ralph M. Steinman is the most famous Canadian Biologist. His biography has been translated into 54 different languages on wikipedia.
Ralph Marvin Steinman (January 14, 1943 – September 30, 2011) was a Canadian-American physician and medical researcher at Rockefeller University, who in 1973 discovered and named dendritic cells while working as a postdoctoral fellow in the laboratory of Zanvil A. Cohn, also at Rockefeller University. Steinman was one of the recipients of the 2011 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine.
2. John Murray (1841 - 1914)
With an HPI of 48.44, John Murray is the 2nd most famous Canadian Biologist. His biography has been translated into 17 different languages.
Sir John Murray (3 March 1841 – 16 March 1914) was a pioneering Canadian-born British oceanographer, marine biologist and limnologist. He is considered to be the father of modern oceanography.
3. David Suzuki (1936 - )
With an HPI of 47.96, David Suzuki is the 3rd most famous Canadian Biologist. His biography has been translated into 37 different languages.
David Takayoshi Suzuki (born March 24, 1936) is a Canadian academic, science broadcaster, and environmental activist. Suzuki earned a PhD in zoology from the University of Chicago in 1961, and was a professor in the genetics department at the University of British Columbia from 1963 until his retirement in 2001. Since the mid-1970s, Suzuki has been known for his television and radio series, documentaries and books about nature and the environment. He is best known as host and narrator of the popular and long-running CBC Television science program The Nature of Things, seen in over 40 countries. He is also well known for criticizing governments for their lack of action to protect the environment. A longtime activist to reverse global climate change, Suzuki co-founded the David Suzuki Foundation in 1990, to work "to find ways for society to live in balance with the natural world that does sustain us." The Foundation's priorities are: oceans and sustainable fishing, climate change and clean energy, sustainability, and Suzuki's Nature Challenge. The Foundation also works on ways to help protect the oceans from large oil spills such as the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. Suzuki has also served as a director of the Canadian Civil Liberties Association from 1982 to 1987. Suzuki was awarded the Right Livelihood Award in 2009. His 2011 book, The Legacy, won the Nautilus Book Award. He is a Companion of the Order of Canada. In 2004, Suzuki ranked fifth on the list of final nominees in a CBC Television series that asked viewers to select The Greatest Canadian of all time.
4. Colin Munro MacLeod (1909 - 1972)
With an HPI of 44.18, Colin Munro MacLeod is the 4th most famous Canadian Biologist. His biography has been translated into 15 different languages.
Colin Munro MacLeod (January 28, 1909 – February 11, 1972) was a Canadian-American geneticist. He was one of a trio of scientists who discovered that deoxyribonucleic acid, or DNA is responsible for the transformation of the physical characteristics of bacteria, which subsequently led to its identification as the molecule responsible for heredity.
5. Robert H. MacArthur (1930 - 1972)
With an HPI of 44.15, Robert H. MacArthur is the 5th most famous Canadian Biologist. His biography has been translated into 16 different languages.
Robert Helmer MacArthur (April 7, 1930 – November 1, 1972) was a Canadian-born American ecologist who made a major impact on many areas of community and population ecology. He is considered a founder of ecology and evolutionary biology.
6. Peter Watts (1958 - )
With an HPI of 41.61, Peter Watts is the 6th most famous Canadian Biologist. His biography has been translated into 16 different languages.
Peter Watts (born January 25, 1958) is a Canadian science fiction author. He specializes in hard science fiction. He earned a Ph.D from the University of British Columbia in 1991 from the Department of Zoology and Resource Ecology. He went on to hold several academic research and teaching positions, and worked as a marine-mammal biologist. He began publishing fiction around the time he finished graduate school.
7. Severn Cullis-Suzuki (1979 - )
With an HPI of 41.19, Severn Cullis-Suzuki is the 7th most famous Canadian Biologist. Her biography has been translated into 21 different languages.
Severn Cullis-Suzuki (born 30 November 1979) is a Canadian environmental activist and writer. She has spoken around the world about environmental issues, urging listeners to define their values, act with the future in mind and take individual responsibility. She is the daughter of Canadian environmentalist David Suzuki.
8. Alice Wilson (1881 - 1964)
With an HPI of 38.32, Alice Wilson is the 8th most famous Canadian Biologist. Her biography has been translated into 15 different languages.
Alice Evelyn Wilson, MBE, FRSC, FRCGS (August 26, 1881 – April 15, 1964) was Canada's first female geologist. She is most well known for her scientific studies of rocks and fossils in the Ottawa region between 1913 and 1963.
9. Alice Eastwood (1859 - 1953)
With an HPI of 37.90, Alice Eastwood is the 9th most famous Canadian Biologist. Her biography has been translated into 17 different languages.
Alice Eastwood (January 19, 1859 – October 30, 1953) was a Canadian American botanist. She is credited with building the botanical collection at the California Academy of Sciences in San Francisco. She published over 310 scientific articles and authored 395 land plant species names, the fourth-highest number of such names authored by any female scientist. There are seventeen currently recognized species named for her, as well as the genera Eastwoodia and Aliciella.
Pantheon has 9 people classified as biologists born between 1841 and 1979. Of these 9, 3 (33.33%) of them are still alive today. The most famous living biologists include David Suzuki, Peter Watts, and Severn Cullis-Suzuki. The most famous deceased biologists include Ralph M. Steinman, John Murray, and Colin Munro MacLeod. As of April 2022, 2 new biologists have been added to Pantheon including Colin Munro MacLeod and Alice Wilson.
Living Biologists
Go to all Rankings
David Suzuki
1936 - Present
HPI: 47.96
Peter Watts
1958 - Present
HPI: 41.61
Severn Cullis-Suzuki
1979 - Present
HPI: 41.19
Deceased Biologists
Go to all RankingsRalph M. Steinman
1943 - 2011
HPI: 60.44
John Murray
1841 - 1914
HPI: 48.44
Colin Munro MacLeod
1909 - 1972
HPI: 44.18
Robert H. MacArthur
1930 - 1972
HPI: 44.15
Alice Wilson
1881 - 1964
HPI: 38.32
Alice Eastwood
1859 - 1953
HPI: 37.90
Newly Added Biologists (2022)
Go to all RankingsWhich Biologists were alive at the same time? This visualization shows the lifespans of the 5 most globally memorable Biologists since 1700.
