Jillian Sprenger

(Photo courtesy of Jillian Sprenger)

Jillian Sprenger awarded Gates Cambridge Scholarship

The University of Toronto’s Jillian Sprenger has been named a Gates Cambridge Scholar.

A former John. H. Moss Scholarship winner, Sprenger is one of 74 scholars from 30 countries to receive the prestigious scholarship this year.

“At Cambridge, I'll be pursuing a master of philosophy in environmental policy, with a focus on environmental law,” Sprenger says. “I plan to study how the law at both national and international levels may be used effectively to address the climate crisis.

“We need new and creative ways of addressing this defining challenge of our time, and I think the law will be a powerful tool in this regard. Whether through the pursuit of litigation to hold governments and organizations accountable for their environmental records, or through the creation of legal mandates to enable transition to a net-zero economy, the law may play a vital role in precipitating the wide-reaching societal change we need to protect our planet.”

As an undergraduate at U of T majoring in global health, Sprenger was part of the Reach Alliance at the Munk School of Global Affairs & Public Policy. She studied such issues as food insecurity, forced migration, and antimicrobial resistance – conducting research that took her to Myanmar, Taiwan, Ecuador, Ethiopia and Sri Lanka. She will graduate this year with a master of science in biophysics.

Read more about Sprenger

UTC