Dr. Ian Burton is Scientist Emeritus with the Adaptation and Impacts Research Group (AIRG) of the Meteorological Service of Canada and an Adjunct Professor with the Institute for Environmental Studies at the University of Toronto. He previously held positions as Director of AIRG and Senior Policy Advisor with Environment Canada. Prior to joining the federal government, Dr. Burton was Director of the International Federation of Institutes for Advanced Study (IFIAS), a non-governmental network of research centres. From 1979-1984 he was Professor and Director of the Institute for Environmental Studies at the University of Toronto. His research interests include risk assessment of environmental hazards, water resources and supply, and environment and development. Dr. Burton has served as senior advisor to the International Development Research Centre (IDRC) (Ottawa) and as a consultant to the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), the World Health Organization (WHO), the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), the U.S. Agency for International Development (US-AID), and numerous Canadian government agencies and engineering firms. He has worked for the Ford Foundation in India, Sudan, and Nigeria and is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada and the World Academy of Arts and Sciences.

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