Dr. James Elser is a distinguished Ecologist and global authority on ecological stoichiometry, currently serving as Bierman Professor of Ecology at the University of Montana and Director of the Flathead Lake Biological Station since March 2016. He maintains a dual academic appointment as Director of the Sustainable Phosphorus Alliance at Arizona State University, reflecting his ongoing commitment to interdisciplinary environmental research across institutional boundaries. A graduate of the University of Notre Dame with a BS in biology (1981) and the University of Tennessee with an MS in ecology (1983), he completed his PhD in ecology at the University of California, Davis in 1990 under the mentorship of renowned limnologist Charles R. Goldman. His distinguished career includes a 26-year tenure at Arizona State University where he advanced from assistant professor to Regents' Professor before assuming leadership of Montana's premier biological research station.
Dr. Elser's pioneering research has fundamentally transformed ecological science through his development and rigorous testing of the theory of ecological stoichiometry, which examines the balance of energy and multiple chemical elements in ecological systems. His groundbreaking work on nutrient limitation, particularly phosphorus dynamics in aquatic ecosystems, has provided critical insights into how elemental imbalances affect organismal physiology, population dynamics, and ecosystem functioning across diverse environments from Arctic lakes to Patagonian watersheds. This theoretical framework has been widely adopted by researchers worldwide and has generated over 290 peer-reviewed publications that collectively represent a paradigm shift in understanding nutrient cycling in natural systems. His influential 2012 G.E. Hutchinson Award from the Association for the Sciences of Limnology and Oceanography specifically recognized the transformative impact of his stoichiometric research on aquatic ecology.
Beyond his theoretical contributions, Dr. Elser has emerged as a global leader in advancing phosphorus sustainability within food systems, recognizing the critical intersection between nutrient management, water quality protection, and food security for future generations. His current research integrates intensive field studies in Flathead Lake and mountain lakes across western Montana and western China with interdisciplinary collaborations focused on sustainable phosphorus management throughout the global food chain. As director of the Sustainable Phosphorus Alliance, he has catalyzed international research coordination networks to address the growing challenge of phosphorus scarcity while mitigating eutrophication in freshwater systems. Through his mentorship of students in FLBS' Field Ecology class and continued scholarly output including co-authoring influential books such as Phosphorus, Food, and Our Future, Dr. Elser remains at the forefront of translating ecological theory into practical solutions for pressing environmental challenges.
