Clark, Adam Thomas

Adam Thomas Clark is an Associate Professor in the Department of Biology at the University of Graz, Austria, where he leads research on ecological community stability, self-assembly, and persistence across spatial and temporal scales. He is affiliated with the Institute of Biology and the Department of Plant Sciences, focusing on predictive models of community ecology. His academic journey includes a PhD from the University of Minnesota under David Tilman, postdoctoral work at the Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research (UFZ) and iDiv with Stan Harpole and Helmut Hillebrand, and undergraduate research at Harvard University's Museum of Comparative Zoology.

His research interests span Community Ecology, Grassland and Plant Ecology, Ant Community Assembly, Biodiversity, and Theoretical Modeling. He investigates how ecological systems maintain stability despite disturbances, integrating field experiments, taxonomy, and data synthesis. His work has particular emphasis on tallgrass prairies in the US Midwest, Central European grasslands, and ant communities in the Caribbean and northeastern US.

The recent publications and social media activity highlight a strong focus on ecological acclimation, coexistence mechanisms, landscape and historical ecology, climate change impacts, and food web dynamics. His work often bridges empirical data with theoretical frameworks to improve predictive ecology. He is actively involved in mentoring, having advertised funded PhD and postdoctoral positions, and collaborates with institutions across Europe.

• ORCID: 0000-0002-8843-3278
• Homepage: adamclarktheecologist.com
• Social: Bluesky, Twitter, GitHub, Google Scholar

Clark is engaged in broader academic discourse, commenting on faculty hiring practices, research evaluation, and scientific trust. He promotes interdisciplinary climate research and has contributed to studies on public perception of science and ecological resilience in marine and terrestrial systems.