Jack E. Davis

Jack E. Davis holds the Rothman Family Chair in the Humanities and serves as a Professor of History at the University of Florida. Previously, he taught at the University of Alabama at Birmingham and Eckerd College, and was a Fulbright Scholar at the University of Jordan in 2002. He founded the student journal Alpata: A Journal of History upon joining UF in 2003.

His research expertise spans environmental history, sustainability studies, American and southern history, and cultural history. Davis has authored or edited ten books, including the Pulitzer Prize-winning The Gulf: The Making of an American Sea (2017) and The Bald Eagle: The Improbable Journey of America’s Bird (2022), a New York Times Book Review Editor’s Choice. His work often integrates ecological narratives with cultural and social analysis, as seen in An Everglades Providence (2009) and Race Against Time: Culture and Separation in Natchez Since 1930 (2001).

• His books frequently address human-environmental interactions, coastal ecosystems, and the legacy of conservation in America.
• Recent works emphasize interdisciplinary approaches, blending historical scholarship with contemporary ecological challenges.

Scientific Awards and Recognition:

• Pulitzer Prize for History (2018)
• Charles S. Sydnor Prize (2001)
• Florida Book Awards gold medal (2009)
• Kirkus Prize for nonfiction (2017)
• Andrew Carnegie Corporation fellowship (2019)
• Named Author of the Year by Florida House on Capitol Hill (2024)

Grants and Fellowships:

• Andrew Carnegie Corporation fellowship (2019) supported his work on The Bald Eagle.
• Escape to Create residency fellow (2011) and MacDowell Colony fellow (2014) for research on The Gulf.

He is currently developing a new book titled “The American Coast: History and Prophecy at Land’s End”, which explores coastal ecosystems and their cultural significance in an era of climate change.