Daniel Bunker

Daniel Bunker is an Associate Professor in the Department of Biological Sciences at New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT). His research focuses on ecosystem function, biodiversity, and plant community dynamics, with emphasis on tropical forests, functional diversity, and climate change impacts. He has led NSF-funded projects including 'Climate Change and Phenological Mismatch' (2013–2015) and co-led 'TraitNet' (2007–2014), a collaborative initiative advancing trait-based ecological research.

His work integrates plant functional traits, ecosystem services, and conservation strategies. Notable contributions include the TRY plant trait database, enhancing global ecological research accessibility. Bunker's recent studies explore plant community assembly using maximum entropy models and investigate climate drivers affecting parasitic organisms in wildlife. His research bridges ecological theory with applied conservation, addressing biodiversity loss and ecosystem resilience in changing environments.

• Grants: NSF awards totaling over $2M for ecological research projects
• Key Projects: TraitNet collaboration, phenological mismatch experiments, and tropical forest conversion studies
• Publications: Over 34 peer-reviewed articles with 6,443 citations, including high-impact works on functional traits and ecosystem modeling

Bunker's teaching includes courses on evolution, ornithology, and ecology, fostering student engagement in ecological research.