Ecological Society of America announces 2025 Fellows

The Ecological Society of America is pleased to announce its 2025 Fellows. The Society’s fellowship program recognizes the many ways in which its members contribute to ecological research, communication, education, management and policy. This year, the ESA Governing Board has confirmed eight new Fellows and ten new Early Career Fellows.

Fellows are members who have made outstanding contributions to a wide range of fields served by ESA, including, but not restricted to, those that advance or apply ecological knowledge in academics, government, non-profit organizations and the broader society. They are elected for life.

Early Career Fellows are members within eight years of completing their doctoral training (or other terminal degree) who have advanced ecological knowledge and applications and show promise of continuing to make outstanding contributions to a wide range of fields served by ESA. They are elected for five years.

ESA established its Fellows program in 2012 with the goal of honoring its members and supporting their competitiveness and advancement to leadership positions in the Society, at their institutions, and in broader society. Past ESA Fellows and Early Career Fellows are listed on the ESA Fellows page.

“It’s an honor to recognize this year’s Fellows and Early Career Fellows of ESA,” said ESA President Stephanie Hampton. “These individuals exemplify excellence in ecological science through their research, mentorship and service. Their leadership in advancing both knowledge and application of ecology strengthens our field and supports communities and ecosystems around the world. We applaud this cohort’s accomplishments and look forward to the continued impact of their work.”

ESA will formally acknowledge and celebrate its new Fellows for their exceptional achievements during a ceremony at ESA’s 2025 Annual Meeting in Baltimore, Maryland.

 

Fellows elected in 2025 in recognition of their contributions to the science of ecology:

Paul R. Armsworth, Professor, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology

Paul Armsworth is a theoretical ecologist whose research examines how ecology can be integrated with social sciences to inform effective conservation decisions, including the design of protected areas, the benefits of biodiversity and ecosystem services and the role of institutions in shaping conservation outcomes. His work bridges theory and practice to inform management and policy decisions at the local and national levels. As such, he collaborates widely with state and federal agencies, non-governmental organizations and other groups. He received a Ph.D. in Biological Sciences from Stanford University, as well as a Ph.D. in Mathematics from James Cook University.

Donald L. DeAngelis, Research Professor, University of Miami, Department of Biology

Donald DeAngelis is a theoretical ecologist who uses modeling in the area of restoration ecology, with a primary focus on the Florida Everglades. He is a pioneer in the use of individual-based modeling, which he is currently using to simulate methods of control of invasive species. After 21 years in the Environmental Sciences Division of Oak Ridge National Laboratory, he worked for many years at the U.S. Geological Survey and as a Research Professor at the University of Miami. DeAngelis received a Ph.D. in Engineering and Applied Science from Yale University.

Robert J. Fletcher, Professor, University of Cambridge, Department of Zoology

Robert Fletcher is an ecologist and conservation biologist who works at the interface of landscape ecology, conservation science, ornithology and quantitative modeling. He conducts long-term field research in the Florida Everglades and in southern Africa, where his team addresses the effects of environmental change, such as habitat loss and invasive species, on species and ecosystems. Additionally, Fletcher serves on the Executive Boards for the Savannah Research Centre in Eswatini and the Student Conference for Conservation Science, and he is a Council Member for the Cambridge Conservation Initiative. He received his Ph.D. in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology from Iowa State University.

Daniel C. Laughlin, Professor, University of Wyoming, Department of Botany

Daniel Laughlin is a plant ecologist whose research links information about plant physiology and population models to improve our understanding of plant biology and enhance restoration of plant communities. His research group develops statistical frameworks that use multiple data types to predict the dynamics of plant populations and communities at local and global scales. In addition to writing journal publications, Laughlin is the author and co-author of two textbooks on plant strategies and community ecology. He received his Ph.D. from Northern Arizona University.

Elena Litchman, Professor, Michigan State University, Kellogg Biological Station and Department of Integrative Biology

Elena Litchman is an ecologist interested in community assembly, resilience and eco-evolutionary responses of microbial communities to forces like anthropogenic global change. Her work examines the consequences of ecological change for biodiversity, biogeochemical cycles and ecosystem functioning around the world. Having pioneered trait-based approaches to studying phytoplankton, she now extends those approaches to other microbial systems, from freshwater lakes to gut microbiota to algal synthetic communities. She is the recipient of many awards and honors, among them the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers and the G. Evelyn Hutchinson Award from the Association for the Sciences of Limnology and Oceanography, where she is also a Fellow. Litchman received her Ph.D. in Ecology from the University of Minnesota.

Dennis S. Ojima, Interim Director and Emeritus Professor, Colorado State University, Natural Resource Ecology Laboratory

Dennis Ojima is an ecosystem scientist who conducts research and assessments on global change impacts on ecosystems in the U.S. and around the globe. A leader in the science of anthropogenic change, he promotes social-ecological approaches to address adaptation to environmental change in dryland systems. Ojima has received numerous recognitions, including the Champion of the Environment award from the Mongolian Minister of the Environment and Green Development, the Zayed International Prize for the Environment shared with his co-contributors to the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment and the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize shared with his fellow members of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. In 2022 Ojima served as President of the Ecological Society of America. He received his Ph.D. from Colorado State University.

Jason R. Rohr, Department Chair and Professor, University of Notre Dame, Department of Biological Sciences

Jason Rohr is a scientist working at the nexus of ecology and public health, focusing on how natural and anthropogenic environmental changes affect wildlife populations, species interactions and the spread of both wildlife and human diseases. His work takes a particular focus on the impacts of climate change, pollution and alterations to biodiversity. The primary aim of his research is to understand, and develop solutions to, environmental problems in order to improve human health and promote a sustainable co-existence with the natural world. Rohr received his Ph.D. in Ecology from Binghamton University.

C. Richard Tracy, Professor Emeritus, University of Nevada, Reno, Department of Biology

Richard Tracy is a biologist and ecologist with a diverse research program including pure and applied projects in physiology, ecology and conservation biology, as well as an extensive record of teaching and mentorship. An advisor for dozens of graduate students and postdocs, as well as director of graduate programs at Colorado State University and the University of Nevada, Reno (UNR), he is the recipient of numerous awards for his academic mentorship, including the Nevada System of Higher Education Most Outstanding Graduate Advisor and Best Graduate Director from UNR. Tracy is also a Guggenheim Fellow, Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, Distinguished Scholar at Pepperdine University and Fellow of the Association of Western Universities. He received his Ph.D. from the University of Wisconsin.

 

Early Career Fellows (2025–2029) elected for advancing the science of ecology and showing promise for continuing contributions:

Sarah M. Anderson, Natural Resource Specialist, USDA National Forest Service, Natural Resources Directorate

Sarah Anderson is a landscape ecologist who works to implement ecosystem-based management of the nation’s forests. In her current role, she coordinates the U.S. Forest Service’s Terrestrial Condition Assessment and the annual reporting that the model and its key performance indicator inform. She also supports Agency initiatives including a significant role developing the National Reforestation Strategy. A first-gen college student, she is a dedicated mentor, guiding students from elementary through graduate levels. Anderson served as a Knauss Fellow in the U.S. Senate and later served as a Presidential Management Fellow at the Forest Service. She received her Ph.D. from Washington State University.

Daniel J. Becker, Assistant Professor, University of Oklahoma, School of Biological Sciences

Daniel Becker is a scientist working at the intersection of disease ecology, ecological immunology and predictive analytics. His research focuses on the spread of zoonotic pathogens within and between populations and species, as well as the impacts of environmental change on infectious disease. Much of his research concerns pathogens in bats and songbirds. A member of the executive committee for the Verena Institute (a collaboration working on pandemic prevention), he also serves on The Lancet-PPATS Commission on Prevention of Viral Spillover. In 2020 he received the Sidnie Manton Award from the British Ecological Society. He received his Ph.D. from the Odum School of Ecology at the University of Georgia.

Joanna R. Bernhardt, Assistant Professor, University of Guelph, Department of Integrative Biology

Joanna (Joey) Bernhardt is an integrative ecologist whose research aims to advance our fundamental understanding of the drivers of biodiversity change and the consequences of these changes for human well-being. She does this by combining theory, experiments and synthesis to investigate metabolic processes (how organisms obtain, store and use energy, matter and information from their surroundings) and how living systems change as the environment changes. Bernhardt received her Ph.D. in Zoology from the University of British Columbia.

Joan C. Dudney, Assistant Professor, University of California, Santa Barbara, Bren School and the Environmental Studies Program

Joan Dudney is an ecologist broadly interested in understanding the causes and consequences of global change impacts on forests and terrestrial ecosystems. She leverages big data from synthesis projects and field-based insights from her long-term research in the Sierra Nevada mountains to understand how forest disturbance interactions — including fire, drought and disease — affect tree mortality and lead to shifts in ecosystem states. Dudney is recognized for her innovative quantitative approaches to disentangle the impacts of climate change and disturbance on ecosystems, while informing conservation decisions. She received her Ph.D. from the University of California, Berkeley.

Benjamin G. Freeman, Assistant Professor, Georgia Institute of Technology, School of Biological Sciences

Benjamin Freeman is an ecologist studying why species live where they do and how their ranges may respond in an era of climate change. To that end, he created the Mountain Bird Network to compile systematic survey data on mountain birds across the globe, and he also leads the Mountain Bird Lab at Georgia Tech. Freeman is recognized for his elegant integration of evolutionary and ecological approaches to address fundamental questions in bird biology, and for his science communication to the public. He received his Ph.D. from Cornell University.

Winslow D. Hansen, Assistant Scientist, Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies; Director, Western Fire and Forest Resilience Collaborative

Winslow Hansen is an ecologist whose research deepens our understanding of forest resilience to fire, climate change and other disturbances. His novel techniques to integrate remote sensing and simulations — scaling from individual trees up to entire biomes — allows researchers to view current and future forest health across backyards, watersheds and the planet. As Director of the Western Fire and Forest Resilience Collaborative, Hansen oversees the production of synthetic research meant to guide fire policy and management in the western U.S. Hansen received his Ph.D. from the University of Wisconsin–Madison.

Lisa C. McManus, Assistant Professor, University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, Hawaiʻi Institute of Marine Biology

Lisa McManus is a theoretical marine ecologist investigating climate change impacts on coral reef ecosystems. Her research uses ecological theory to understand and predict the responses of marine organisms to changing ocean conditions. Current projects examine coral-algal regime shifts, coral adaptive potential and marine conservation strategies. Through this work, McManus aims to inform conservation policies that address the long-term resilience of coral reefs. She earned her Ph.D. in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology from Princeton University.

Bruno E. Soares, Adjunct Professor, University of Regina, Department of Biology; Quantitative Scientist, University of Regina, Institute for Environmental Change and Society

Bruno Soares is an ecologist whose research is focused on the processes structuring aquatic communities and food webs. He investigates how different land uses affect biodiversity and food web structure in the Neotropical region to better predict the effects of anthropogenic impacts on the functioning of ecosystems. A 2022 ESA Excellence in Ecology Scholar, Soares is recognized for his commitment to creating inclusive spaces to support peers and for his advocacy for open science. He obtained his Ph.D. in Ecology at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Tara E. Stewart Merrill, Assistant Scientist, Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies

Tara Stewart Merrill is an ecologist conducting empirical and theoretical research at the intersection of disease ecology and aquatic ecology. Her work is largely focused on understanding the drivers and consequences of infectious disease in freshwater systems. She asks how organismal and ecological processes interact to shape parasite transmission, as well as how disease impacts scale up from individuals and populations to communities and ecosystems. Stewart Merrill received her Ph.D. from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

Benton N. Taylor, Assistant Professor, Harvard University, Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology

Benton Taylor is an ecosystem ecologist working to understand how terrestrial ecosystems will respond to global change, and what the consequences will be for future carbon cycling. His work spans from tropical rainforests to the arctic tundra, focusing primarily on how plant-microbial partnerships impact ecosystem responses to rising carbon dioxide levels, warming, drought, severe weather, nutrient pollution and human land use. Ongoing projects in his lab focus on how shifts in environmental conditions will impact plant growth and reliance on belowground partnerships such as mycorrhizal fungi, nitrogen-fixing bacteria and rhizosphere microbes. He received his Ph.D. in Ecology, Evolution and Environmental Biology from Columbia University.

 

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Learn more about the upcoming ESA Annual Meeting, August 10–15, on the meeting website.

ESA invites press and institutional public information officers to attend for free. To register, please contact ESA Public Affairs Manager Mayda Nathan directly at mayda@esa.org

The Ecological Society of America, founded in 1915, is the world’s largest community of professional ecologists and a trusted source of ecological knowledge, committed to advancing the understanding of life on Earth. The 8,000 member Society publishes six journals and a membership bulletin and broadly shares ecological information through policy, media outreach, and education initiatives. The Society’s Annual Meeting attracts 4,000 attendees and features the most recent advances in ecological science. Visit the ESA website at https://www.esa.org.

 

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