Sigrid Schmalzer is a Professor of History at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, specializing in the history of science and modern China. She holds a Ph.D. in History and Science Studies from the University of California, San Diego (2004). Her research bridges the social, cultural, and political dimensions of science in China, with a focus on the intersections of agriculture, activism, and revolutionary movements. Schmalzer is the author of *Red Revolution, Green Revolution: Scientific Farming in Socialist China* (2016), winner of the Joseph Levenson Book Prize, and *The People's Peking Man: Popular Science and Human Identity in Twentieth-Century China* (2008), recipient of the Allan Sharlin Award. Her current projects include a book on agricultural heritage in the People’s Republic of China and leadership roles in organizations like the Critical China Scholars and Science for the People. She co-edits the *Activist Studies of Science and Technology* series for UMass Press, emphasizing socially engaged scholarship. Schmalzer also serves as Co-President of the MSP faculty union at UMass Amherst. Research interests span the history of science activism, transnational movements, and the legacy of Maoist science. Notable awards include the Freeman Book Award (2018) for her children’s book *Moth and Wasp, Soil and Ocean*, which integrates science education with historical narratives. Her work often critiques capitalist and authoritarian structures while advocating for science as a tool for justice and sustainability. Recent publications explore themes like agroecology, science policy, and the global dimensions of China’s scientific history. She teaches courses on modern China, science in society, and radical science movements, blending interdisciplinary approaches to engage students in critical analysis of historical and contemporary issues.
Dr. Corey T. Callaghan is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Wildlife Ecology and Conservation at the University of Florida . Based at the Fort Lauderdale Research and Education Center , his research focuses on global change ecology using big data from citizen science platforms like eBird and iNaturalist, combined with geospatial analyses and macroecological theory . Ph.D. (2019) from UNSW Sydney M.S. (2015) from Florida Atlantic University B.S. + B.S. (2013) from Canisius College His work examines urban ecology , including how species traits influence urban tolerance across birds, amphibians, and butterflies. He develops adaptive sampling frameworks to optimize citizen science data collection while addressing biases. Current projects analyze human-nature interactions through citizen science participation, secondary data in photographs, and machine learning for biodiversity monitoring. He actively contributes to conservation strategies for urban biodiversity and data-driven restoration efforts . Recent publications highlight his expertise in cross-taxa comparisons , continental-scale analyses , and ecosystem service quantification . He leads the Global Ecology Research Group at the University of Florida, emphasizing collaborative science and open-source methodologies .
Arti Singh is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Agronomy at Iowa State University. Her research focuses on plant breeding, soybean diseases, genomics, and phenomics, with a strong emphasis on integrating artificial intelligence and high-throughput technologies into agricultural systems. She leads projects involving AI-driven disease identification, precision agriculture, and crop improvement strategies. Her expertise includes developing machine learning models for real-time weed and insect classification (e.g., WeedNet and InsectNet), deploying drones and ground robots for crop phenotyping, and leveraging genomic data to map traits like flowering time and disease resistance in legumes. Singh collaborates on initiatives like the AIIRA Institute for Resilient Agriculture and the BioTrove biodiversity dataset. Singh’s work spans plant stress phenotyping, digital twin technologies for plant sciences, and multi-sensor phenotyping for early disease detection. Her research bridges computational methods with traditional agronomy, aiming to enhance crop resilience and sustainability in the face of environmental challenges. Her recent projects include optimizing robotic navigation for precision agriculture, improving soybean yield estimation via video analysis, and dissecting genetic architectures of traits in mungbean and soybean using GWAS and genomic tools. She actively contributes to conferences and publishes in high-impact journals, advancing both foundational and applied aspects of agricultural science.
Rolf Halden is a Professor and Center Director at Arizona State University, holding appointments in the School of Sustainable Engineering and the Built Environment, the Biodesign Center for Environmental Health Engineering, and the Global Futures Scientists and Scholars program. He is a leading expert in environmental health engineering, wastewater-based epidemiology, and bioremediation. Education: Ph.D. in Civil (Environmental) Engineering, University of Minnesota (1997) M.S. in Civil (Environmental) Engineering, University of Minnesota (1994) M.S. in Biology, Technical University of Braunschweig, Germany (1992) Postdoctoral Fellow, Environmental Science, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (1998) Research Focus: Halden’s research integrates environmental chemistry, public health, and sustainability to understand how anthropogenic chemicals affect ecological and human health. His lab uses advanced mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS, MALDI-TOF) to track pollutants such as PPCPs, microplastics, pesticides, and dioxins across air, water, soil, and biological systems. He pioneered the use of wastewater treatment plants as public health observatories, enabling real-time tracking of disease, drug use, and environmental exposures. Scientific Awards & Recognition: Leadership Award, Arizona State University (2018) Rocky Mountain Emmy Award (2018) Leroy E. Burney Lecturer, Johns Hopkins School of Public Health (2011) ACS Expert Program Member (2014–present) NIEHS Superfund R01 Working Group National Leader (2012–2014) Labs & Teams: Halden is the Founding Director of the Biodesign Center for Environmental Health Engineering at ASU, where he leads a multidisciplinary team focused on environmental proteomics, bioremediation, and diagnostic tool development. He also co-leads the Human Health Observatory , a national wastewater monitoring network. Grants & Funding: Halden has secured major funding from NSF, NIH, EPA, DoD, and private industry. Notable projects include the development of in-situ groundwater monitoring devices, national wastewater surveillance of SARS-CoV-2, and studies on microplastics and neurodegenerative disease.
SUNY College of Environmental Science and ForestryUnited States
Jun Hyung Lee is a Visiting Assistant Professor in the Department of Environmental Biology at SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry (ESF). His research focuses on advancing forest tree improvement and conservation through molecular and synthetic biology approaches, with a particular emphasis on enhancing plant resilience to environmental stresses via beneficial microbial interactions. He teaches courses in plant biotechnology and tissue culture methods. Education includes a Ph.D. in Forest Genetics from Purdue University (USA), and M.S. and B.S. degrees in Plant Science from Seoul National University (South Korea). His work integrates cutting-edge genetic engineering techniques with ecological studies to address challenges in plant stress tolerance, symbiosis, and epigenetic regulation. Recent projects include identifying novel symbiosis pathways for thermotolerance and analyzing flooding tolerance in hybrid poplars. Publications highlight contributions to plant-microbe interaction research, synthetic biology applications, and genome editing epigenetic impacts. Collaborations span institutions like Oak Ridge National Laboratory and the University of Georgia, reflecting his transdisciplinary approach to plant science. Lee’s teaching emphasizes practical skills in biotechnology, bridging laboratory innovation with field applications.
John Oakey is a Professor and Graduate Coordinator in the Department of Chemical and Biomedical Engineering at the University of Wyoming, with additional affiliations to the INBRE Program, Molecular and Cellular Life Sciences Program, and Materials Science and Engineering Program. Education Postdoctoral Fellow, Center for Engineering in Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital & Harvard Medical School (2007–2010) Ph.D. Chemical Engineering, Colorado School of Mines (2003) M.S. Chemical Engineering, Colorado School of Mines (1999) B.S. Chemical Engineering, Penn State University (1997) Research Interests Oakey’s laboratory integrates fluid dynamics, colloidal science and materials science to understand how biological systems behave under flow, on surfaces and within complex 3-D geometries. A unifying theme is the use of microfabrication and microfluidics to create new diagnostic, prognostic and therapeutic platforms. Current thrusts include: Heterogeneous biomaterials: self-assembled particulate tissue scaffolds whose mechanical and transport properties can be temporally programmed. Inertial microfluidics: exploiting lift forces for membrane-free particle sorting, enrichment and diagnostics. Multi-temporal analysis by flow cytometry: development of closed-loop, high-throughput microfluidic cytometers for longitudinal single-cell studies. Publication Trends From 2025 back to 2010, Oakey’s articles reveal a consistent trajectory that marries fundamental physics (microtubule mechanics, inertial focusing) with translational applications (cell encapsulation, tissue scaffolds, drug delivery). Recent work (2023-2025) increasingly targets injectable granular hydrogels, single-cell therapeutic delivery and sustainable carbon-sequestering living materials, demonstrating an evolution from microscale transport phenomena to macroscopic biomedical and environmental impact. Scientific Awards No named awards are listed in the supplied text. Advising & Coordination Roles As Graduate Coordinator for the Department of Chemical and Biomedical Engineering, Professor Oakey oversees graduate program development and student mentoring. While no individual students are named, his role implies active supervision of M.S. and Ph.D. advisees in chemical and biomedical engineering. Laboratory & Teams The Oakey Research Group operates from the Energy and Environmental Research Building (EERB 435A) at the University of Wyoming. The lab enjoys R1-level research infrastructure and collaborates broadly with the Wyoming INBRE network, the Molecular and Cellular Life Sciences Program, and the Materials Science and Engineering Program.
Peter A. Raymond is the Oastler Professor of Biogeochemistry at Yale University's School of the Environment and Department of Geology and Geophysics. He serves as Senior Associate Dean of Research & Director of Doctoral Studies and is Co-Director of the Yale Center for Natural Carbon Capture. Raymond leads the Raymond Biogeochemistry Lab, which investigates the biogeochemistry of inland waters, enhanced weathering, methane cycling, and blue carbon systems through cutting-edge field, laboratory, and modeling approaches. Education B.S., Marist College Ph.D., College of William and Mary/Virginia Institute of Marine Science Research Focus Raymond's research fundamentally reshapes our understanding of carbon cycling in aquatic systems, demonstrating that rivers serve as dynamic conduits rather than passive pipes in the global carbon cycle. His work examines how biology and watershed variables alter carbon chemistry in streams, rivers, and estuaries, with particular emphasis on understanding global carbon cycles in relation to climate change. Raymond employs radiocarbon measurements to explore the age and turnover of carbon in aquatic ecosystems, revealing that rivers are variable sources of both old and young terrestrial dissolved organic carbon to oceans. The Raymond Lab is particularly known for developing the Pulse-Shunt Concept, which challenges traditional views of riverine biogeochemistry by emphasizing the episodic and dynamic nature of elemental fluxes. Current research directions include enhanced weathering and alkalinity studies for carbon removal, global greenhouse gas budgets through projects like RECCAP 2, natural methane cycling in aquatic systems, and blue carbon ecosystems such as mangroves and salt marshes. Publication Trends Raymond's recent publications (2023-2025) demonstrate a strong focus on global carbon and methane cycling, with particular attention to inland water systems' role in the Earth's climate system. His work increasingly integrates large-scale datasets with field measurements to understand how climate change and human activities affect greenhouse gas emissions from rivers and streams. A significant portion of his recent work contributes to international efforts like the Global Carbon Project, aiming to refine estimates of global carbon and methane fluxes. His research also shows growing emphasis on carbon removal strategies, particularly enhanced rock weathering through the Earthshot-funded GOAL-A project, and their potential for climate mitigation. Scientific Recognition Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science Member of the Connecticut Academy of Science and Engineering Coastal and Estuarine Research Federations Cronin Award for Young Scientists ISI highly cited author Past Editor and Chief of the American Geophysical Union's journal Global Biogeochemical Cycles Mentorship and Funding Professor Raymond currently mentors four doctoral students (Jon Gewirtzman, Shou-En "Samuel" Tsao, Benjamin Saalidong, and Mingyu Zhang) and masters student Bella Garrioch. His research is supported by multiple grants from the National Science Foundation (NSF), including CAREER awards, and participation in the Earthshot-funded GOAL-A (Global Ocean And Land Alkalinization) project. Raymond has also been involved in significant collaborative projects with USGS data to research how climate and land use change alter carbon export from US watersheds, and with Lamont Doherty to develop methods for measuring air-sea gas exchange of CO2 in rivers and estuaries. Research Infrastructure The Raymond Biogeochemistry Lab at Yale is a dynamic research group comprising research scientists, postdocs, doctoral and masters students, and postgraduate researchers. The lab recently acquired a Mini Carbon Dating System (MICADAS) at Yale, significantly expanding their research capabilities in ecosystem carbon turnover and verification of natural climate solutions. The lab collaborates globally on projects in the Arctic, Hudson River, and middle Atlantic Bight, and is actively involved in the NASA Carbon Monitoring System BlueFlux field campaign to assess carbon exchange in coastal wetlands.
Roles & Affiliations: Ikhlas Khan serves as Director of the National Center for Natural Products Research (NCNPR), Distinguished Professor, and Research Professor of Pharmacognosy at the University of Mississippi's School of Pharmacy. He also leads the FDA Program and coordinates natural products research across multiple initiatives, including the Sino-US TCM Research Center and the Center for Research of Indian Systems of Medicine (CRISM). Education: B.Sc. Chemistry (1980) - Aligarh Muslim University, India M.Sc. Organic Chemistry (1982) - Aligarh Muslim University, India Ph.D. Pharmacy (1987) - Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität, Munich Postdoctoral Studies - Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH), Zurich Research Focus: Dr. Khan specializes in natural products research with emphasis on: Phytomedicine: Standardization of herbal products via analytical fingerprinting, pesticide/herbicide residue analysis, and bioanalytical quality control. Drug Discovery: Isolation of bioactive natural products, development of analytical methods for phytochemical characterization, and chiral separation techniques. Metabolism Studies: Role of metabolism in drug/natural product activity, particularly in aminoquinoline antimalarials. His work bridges academia, industry, and regulatory bodies, shaping policies for botanical supplements. Key Contributions: Over 850 peer-reviewed publications and leadership in high-impact projects like the FDA Center of Excellence. His lab pioneered methods to combat herbal product adulteration and safety issues. Awards & Recognition: UM Distinguished Professor Award (2018) Wiley Award (AOAC International, 2018) Qihuang International Prize (2017) Honoris Causa Doctorate (University of Hamdard, 2012) Labs & Collaborations: Directs the NCNPR, a global leader in natural products research, and collaborates with institutions worldwide. His team develops technologies for herbal product authentication and drug metabolism studies.
Craig Davis is a Professor and holds the Bollenbach Chair in Wildlife Management at Oklahoma State University's Department of Natural Resource Ecology & Management. He has been a faculty member since 2001, advancing from Assistant Professor (2001-2007) to Associate Professor (2007-2012), and has served as Bollenbach Chair since 2014. Davis earned his PhD in Wildlife Science from Texas Tech University (1996), an MS from Iowa State University (1991), and a BS from Ohio State University (1988). He is also a Certified Wildlife Biologist through The Wildlife Society. His research focuses on avian ecology, wetland restoration, and gamebird management, with specific interests in fire-grazing interactions, invertebrate communities, and climate change impacts on ecosystems. Key areas include grassland bird survival, wetland classification systems, and the effects of anthropogenic development on wildlife habitats. Davis actively collaborates with conservation organizations and agencies, addressing challenges like invasive species management and water infrastructure resilience. Teaching responsibilities include undergraduate courses on Wildlife Management Techniques and Wetland Ecology, as well as graduate courses like Advanced Wetland Ecology. His grants emphasize wetland restoration outreach, climate adaptation strategies, and studies on northern bobwhite and wild turkey populations. Notable projects include evaluating cellular transmission technology in wildlife monitoring and assessing the impact of extreme weather on gamebird survival. Grants (Selected): Expansion of potential wetland restoration opportunities in Oklahoma (2024-2027) Linking Research and Stakeholder Engagement for Wetland Conservation (2024-2026) Effects of Extreme Weather and Hunting on Northern Bobwhite (2023-2025) Research Themes: Aligns with UN Sustainable Development Goals 15 (Life on Land), 13 (Climate Action), 6 (Clean Water), 11 (Sustainable Cities), 14 (Life Below Water), and 9 (Industry/Infrastructure).
Yin Bao is an Assistant Professor in Plant and Soil Sciences and Mechanical Engineering at the University of Delaware since 2023, previously holding the same position at Auburn University's Department of Biosystems Engineering (2019-2023). He holds a BE in Mechanical Engineering from China Agricultural University (2012) and a PhD in Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering from Iowa State University (2018), followed by postdoctoral research there until 2019. His research focuses on automation technology for agriculture and forestry, leveraging robotics, machine learning, and sensing systems to develop tools for precision farming and plant phenotyping. Key areas include unmanned systems (UGVs/UAVs), spectral imaging, and AI-driven predictive models for crop and livestock management. Recent work emphasizes automated inventory systems for forest nurseries, UAV-based vegetation assessment, and machine learning applications in crop yield prediction. His publications span robotic guidance systems, root segmentation in X-ray CT scans, and equine gait analysis using deep learning. Notable projects include the Robotic Assay for Drought (RoAD) system and the 'smart canopy' sorghum initiative. Collaborative efforts involve integrating multifrequency microwave sensing and electronic nose technologies for crop quality analysis.
Jennifer S. Thaler is a Professor in the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at Cornell University, affiliated with the College of Arts and Sciences. She holds a Ph.D. from the University of California, Davis (1999) and a B.A. from Wellesley College (1993). Her research focuses on tri-trophic interactions between plants, herbivores, and predators, with an emphasis on chemical ecology, plant defense mechanisms, and pest control strategies. She teaches courses such as Chemical Ecology and Insect Ecology, and her work bridges fundamental ecological theory with applied agricultural challenges. Dr. Thaler’s research investigates how plant traits, predator presence, and nutritional states influence herbivore behavior and population dynamics. Notable projects include studying non-consumptive predator effects, plant genotypic diversity’s impact on herbivores, and the evolutionary potential of antipredator plasticity. Her publications span journals like Ecology , Oecologia , and Proceedings of the Royal Society B . Her scientific contributions include winning the 2nd place Elton Prize (2015) for research on predator effects on aphids. She actively engages in departmental initiatives, including the Graduate Program and the Plant-Insect Interactions Seminar. Affiliated with the Cornell Stable Isotope Laboratory, she contributes to interdisciplinary efforts in ecological research and education.
Paul R Moorcroft is a Professor of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology at Harvard University and an Affiliate in the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS). His research focuses on ecological dynamics of terrestrial plant communities, biosphere-atmosphere interactions, and mechanistic models of animal movement. He collaborates with institutions like NASA JPL on projects such as the ECOSTRESS mission, which investigates environmental processes using satellite data. His lab, the Moorcroft Lab, emphasizes fieldwork and interdisciplinary approaches, as seen in recent collaborations in Italy and Southeast Asia. Key research areas include tropical forest ecology, carbon cycling in peatlands, and the application of remote sensing technologies to environmental monitoring. His work bridges theoretical models with empirical data, addressing global challenges like climate change and biodiversity loss. Recent publications highlight contributions to quantifying carbon emissions from peatland drainage and improving satellite-based mapping of forest functional traits. His advising activities include mentoring graduate students like Rhemi Toth. Collaborations with NASA and academic partners underscore his role in advancing Earth systems science through interdisciplinary research.
University of California , Santa Barbara (UCSB)United States
Alenda Y. Chang serves as an Assistant Professor in Film and Media Studies at the University of California, Santa Barbara. With a multidisciplinary background spanning biology, literature, and film, she integrates ecocritical theory with contemporary media analysis. Her scholarly work appears in journals including Interdisciplinary Studies in Literature and Environment , Qui Parle , and electronic book review , focusing on sustainable media practices and ecological frameworks for digital engagement. Her educational background includes: M.A. and Ph.D. in Rhetoric from the University of California, Berkeley M.A. in English Language and Literature from the University of Maryland Chang specializes in environmental media and game studies, developing theoretical frameworks for ecological game design. Her research examines how digital games model environmental systems and foster player engagement with climate change through concepts like "slow violence" and "rambunctious play." She advocates for sustainable design patterns that address gaming's carbon footprint while creating immersive ecological narratives. Analysis of her 15 most recent publications reveals a consistent trajectory from foundational ecological game theory (2013-2018) to current work on thermal contexts of play and sustainable infrastructure (2022-2024). Her scholarship increasingly bridges data-driven activism with critical game design, emphasizing multispecies entanglements and infrastructural play as tools for environmental awareness. As co-founder of Wireframe—a collaborative media studio at UCSB—Chang cultivates critical game design practices through initiatives like growinggames.net . The studio supports data-driven global media art, environmental activism, and experimental pedagogy, serving as a hub for translating ecological theory into tangible digital interventions that challenge anthropocentric perspectives in gaming.
Amilcare Porporato is the Thomas J. Wu '94 Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Princeton University, with joint appointment at High Meadows Environmental Institute. His research integrates hydrology, ecology, and thermodynamics to study soil-water interactions and sustainable resource management. Education includes: Ph.D. Polytechnic of Milan (1996) M.S. Civil Engineering, Polytechnic of Milan (1992) Research explores nonlinear hydrologic systems, soil moisture dynamics, ecohydrology, and environmental complexity using theoretical and experimental approaches. His work advances understanding of water-biota interactions across scales from pore-level processes to landscape evolution. Honors and Awards: Hydrologic Sciences Award, AGU Borland Lecturer American Geophysical Union Fellow Inaugural Landolt Chair, EPFL Teaches courses on Environmental Thermodynamics (ENV 385/CEE 385) and Ecohydrology (CEE 587/ENV 587).
University of Illinois Urbana-ChampaignUnited States
Angela D. Kent is a Professor in the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, where she also serves as Director of the Program in Ecology, Evolution, and Conservation Biology within the School of Integrative Biology. She is affiliated with the Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology. Her research focuses on microbial communities in agroecosystems and natural environments, particularly their roles in nitrogen cycling, soil health, and sustainable bioenergy production. Key research interests include microbial interactions in plant-microbe systems, the impact of genetic variation in crops on microbial processes, and the ecological and biogeochemical implications of soil microbiomes. She has authored over 99 publications and supervised datasets on topics such as denitrification dynamics, rhizosphere microbiome assembly, and microbial contributions to nitrogen retention. Dr. Kent has received the NACTA Educator Award (2012) and has contributed to high-impact studies on topics like microbial community responses to environmental stressors and the application of stable isotopes in bioenergy research. Her work bridges microbial ecology, agronomy, and environmental science, emphasizing practical solutions for sustainable agriculture and ecosystem management.
