Hillary Young

Hillary Young is a Professor and Vice Chair of the Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Marine Biology at the University of California, Santa Barbara. Her research focuses on understanding how anthropogenic disturbances impact community and ecosystem structures, particularly in relation to human health. She holds a B.A. in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology from Princeton University, an M.A. in Environmental Management from Yale University, and a Ph.D. in Biology from Stanford University. Her postdoctoral work at the Smithsonian Institution and Harvard University explored mammal communities and zoonotic diseases.

Research interests include disease ecology, community ecology, and conservation biology, with a focus on wildlife loss and human disturbance effects. Her lab investigates the cascading ecological impacts of human activities, such as livestock additions and climate change, on ecosystems and disease dynamics. Notable projects include studies on tick populations in California, seabird habitats on atolls, and coral reef food web structures.

Her work emphasizes interdisciplinary approaches, combining field experiments, remote sensing, and meta-analyses. Recent studies highlight the importance of atolls for seabirds and the role of cattle aggregations in parasite transmission. The Young Lab’s research has been featured in high-impact journals and contributes to global conservation strategies.