Dr. Erika Zavaleta is a distinguished community and ecosystem ecologist at the forefront of conservation science and environmental change research. She currently serves as a Howard Hughes Medical Institute Professor in the Ecology and Evolutionary Biology department at the University of California Santa Cruz where she maintains an active research laboratory investigating ecological responses to global environmental change. After receiving her bachelor's and master's degrees in anthropology and her PhD in biological sciences from Stanford University, she established herself as an interdisciplinary scientist who bridges ecological theory with practical conservation applications. Throughout her career, Dr. Zavaleta has strategically positioned herself at the intersection of ecological research, policy development, and science communication to enhance the real-world impact of her work.
Dr. Zavaleta's groundbreaking research has significantly advanced our understanding of how ecosystems respond to interacting climate and atmospheric changes, with her doctoral work representing some of the earliest papers addressing these critical ecological dynamics. Her scholarly contributions include over 85 publications in leading scientific journals including 13 in Nature, Science, or the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, demonstrating the high impact of her research within the scientific community. She received the Ecological Society of America Sustainability Science Award in 2007 for her influential work on climate and wildfire change in Alaska's boreal forest, which established important frameworks for understanding ecosystem responses to multiple stressors. Her comprehensive book Ecosystems of California further cemented her reputation as a leading authority on regional ecosystem science, earning prestigious recognition including PROSE Awards and a California Book Award.
Beyond her research achievements, Dr. Zavaleta has been instrumental in advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion within the ecological sciences through her leadership of the Doris Duke Conservation Scholars Program, which has trained hundreds of underrepresented students in conservation leadership. In 2021, she received the 2021 Commitment to Human Diversity in Ecology Award from the Ecological Society of America and was elected an ESA Fellow in 2018, underscoring her profound impact on creating more accessible pathways in environmental science. She serves prominently in advisory roles including as a science advisor to the California Fish and Game Commission and on boards for the Wildlife Conservation Society's Climate Adaptation Fund. Currently, Dr. Zavaleta continues to expand her research on climate impacts across diverse ecosystems from California grasslands to Himalayan forests while championing innovative approaches to inclusive science education that empower the next generation of conservation leaders.
