John Stella

John Stella is a Professor and Vice President for Research at the SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry (ESF). He leads the Stella Riparian Ecohydrology Lab, focusing on ecological interactions in riparian zones, streams, and rivers. His work examines how riparian ecosystems respond to natural and human-induced disturbances, including climate change, groundwater depletion, and land use changes. Stella holds a Ph.D. in Environmental Science, Policy, and Management from UC Berkeley (2005), along with an MS from UC Berkeley (1998) and a BA in Architecture from Yale University (1988).

His research spans diverse topics: groundwater dependence of dryland riparian woodlands, ecohydrological feedbacks between vegetation and fluvial processes, and the role of beavers as ecosystem engineers. He has published extensively in journals like Nature, Water Resources Research, and Ecohydrology, with notable contributions on drought resilience, riparian restoration strategies, and remote sensing applications. His work bridges ecology, hydrology, and policy to address sustainability challenges in water-scarce regions.

Stella advises graduate and undergraduate students on projects integrating field experiments, isotope analyses, and computational modeling. He has received the EURIAS/Collegium de Lyon Faculty Fellowship (2013–2014), recognizing his international scholarly impact. His lab collaborates globally on projects ranging from Mediterranean-climate river basins to urban forest equity. Current research emphasizes developing indicators of ecohydrological change and sustainable groundwater management frameworks for dryland ecosystems.