Dan Doak

Dan Doak is a Professor and Associate Chair of Graduate Studies in the Department of Environmental Studies at the University of Colorado Boulder, holding the Byers Family Chair in Environmental Studies. His research focuses on the ecology and management of rare species and habitats, biodiversity protection, population and community dynamics, and the effects of climate change on ecological systems. He leads the Doak Lab, which investigates topics ranging from alpine plant communities to conservation strategies for endangered species, emphasizing long-term demographic studies and interdisciplinary collaboration.

Dr. Doak earned his Ph.D. in 1990 from the University of Washington. His work integrates field studies, mathematical modeling, and experimental approaches to address pressing conservation challenges. The lab’s projects include analyzing climate impacts on species distributions, evaluating keystone species effects in marine ecosystems, and developing practical models for species recovery. Collaborative grants, such as LTREB and OPUS initiatives, highlight his commitment to advancing ecological understanding through multi-decadal data synthesis.

While currently not accepting new graduate students, the Doak Lab supports a vibrant community of researchers exploring diverse topics—from sunflower ecotypes to California condor conservation. Their findings emphasize the importance of local adaptation, spatial patterning in ecosystems, and the role of stochasticity in population dynamics. The lab’s contributions bridge theoretical ecology and applied conservation, informing policy and management decisions globally.