About

Jenn Thornhill Verma, a 2024-2025 Pulitzer Ocean Reporting Fellow with The Globe and Mail, is an award-winning investigative journalist covering the ocean, fisheries, and climate change. Her reporting combines best-available data and evidence with the perspectives of those wearing the boots in the boats in the harbours and waterways where the story happens. Jenn is as comfortable demystifying data with top scientists in the world, as she is baiting a fishing hook with fishers on the wharf—and that’s earned her the respect and trust of both. She is driven to make what’s important, interesting and a pleasure for news audiences.

Jenn is also a visual artist and brings more than 15-years of non-profit management experience. She has Master’s degrees of Fine Arts (MFA Creative Nonfiction, University of King’s College) and Science (MSc Medicine, Memorial University of Newfoundland), is a 2024-2025 Pulitzer Ocean Reporting Fellow with The Globe and Mail, a fellow of the Royal Canadian Geographical Society (FRCGS), a Fellow International of The Explorers Club (FI’23), a Pulitzer Grantee (2024), an alumna of the Oxford Climate Journalism Network, and former executive lead of the Global Commission on Evidence to Address Societal Challenges.

In 2019, Jenn published her first book, “Cod Collapse: The Rise and Fall of Newfoundland’s Saltwater Cowboys,” which features her cover art and was shortlisted for a historical writing award at the 2021 Atlantic Book Awards. Jenn’s book inspired her first short-film, “Last Fish, First Boat,” which recounts the true story of a fifth-generation fisherman who pivots to boat-building after the cod fishery closes.

In 2020, Jenn’s landscape art was recognized for best cover (magazine) at the Atlantic Journalism Awards (AJAs), where she has been a repeat awardee and nominee (gold in business in 2024 for Seasplainer with Leila Beaudoin; and thrice silver winner for best profile article). Verma/Beaudoin also secured gold for best column at the Digital Publishing Awards (DPAs 2024). In 2025, Verma and photographer Johnny Lam, and The Globe’s team, secured gold for climate change awards at the Canadian Association of Journalists awards (CAJs) and silver at the DPAs, with a nomination at the Canadian Journalism Foundation as well. Verma/Beaudoin also secured silver for best editorial package at the DPAs. She has also been nominated for the online media award (Seasplainer) and written news award at the CAJs (2024), data journalism award at the CAJs (2023), best science and technology storytelling award at the DPAs (2023), and best new magazine writer at the National Magazine Awards (2019). Jenn has bylines in Canadian Geographic, CBC, The Independent (NL), The Globe and Mail, The Narwhal, and more.

Jenn also serves on the boards of the University of King’s College (also serving as the Alumni Association’s President), and formerly held board roles at Bruyère Continuing Care, Nourish Leadership and the Justice Emmett Hall Memorial Foundation.

She previously worked for fifteen years with (what is now) Healthcare Excellence Canada, designing the foundation’s collaborative improvement approach and writing/editing the Mythbusters series, debunking widely held beliefs about healthcare in Canada with best evidence.

She also worked in public and private radio.

Jenn Thornhill Verma’s CV | Follow Jenn