ESA Welcomes Juan C. Corley as Editor in Chief of Ecological Applications

June 15, 2020
For immediate release

Juan C. Corley

Contact: Alison Mize, gro.asenull@nosila

After an extensive, competitive search, the Ecological Society of America is pleased to announce the appointment of Juan C. Corley, Ph.D., as the Editor in Chief of its journal Ecological Applications. In his new role, Corley will lead Ecological Applications in publishing research articles from across the biological and ecological sciences. Ecological Applications showcases ecological research with broad applicability to management, policy, and governance of the world’s ecosystems.

“We welcome Dr. Corley in his new role and look forward to his ecological expertise in applied ecology and his viewpoint from South America both positively influencing the direction of Ecological Applications,” said ESA President Osvaldo Sala. “The research published in the journal provides sound science that can help inform policy makers decisions. Nature and society thrive when science is used to wisely manage our natural resources.”

Corley works with a technician to install an experiment to study Allee effects in invasive forest insects.

Corley is a professor at the Ecology Department at the Universidad Nacional del Comahue in Bariloche, Argentina, and Head of the Insect Population Ecology Group at the Institute for Forestry and Agricultural Research, a joint facility run by CONICET (the National Institute for Scientific Research of Argentina) and INTA (the National Institute for Agriculture and Livestock Research). A biologist from the University of Buenos Aires, he obtained an M.Sc. degree in Ecology at the University of Wales after which he was awarded the “W. H. Hudson Scholarship” by the British Embassy in Buenos Aires. Back in Argentina, he obtained his Ph.D., working on the role of insect diapause on host-parasitoid models and biological control of pests. After settling with his family in Bariloche, his research focuses on improving our understanding of ecological aspects of successful management of invasive forest insects. A strong impact on his research agenda was developed while spending time at Cardiff (U.K.), the University of Lyon in France, and more recently as a Fulbright Scholar working with colleagues at the U.S. Forest Service.

Corley is strongly committed to improving the links between ecological concepts and application. His interests are focused on acquiring a better understanding of the processes driving the population dynamics of insect herbivores and invasive species which threaten food and fiber production, especially in a globalized and rapidly changing world. His most recent publications reflect his concern with the patterns that describe forest insect invasions as well as on how behavioral and population ecology can influence invasion success and affect pest management.

Corley has also invested time in student supervision and in leading the research efforts in his lab. Since 2016, he has served on the Ph.D. Steering Committee at his University, and since 2018, as Vice Director in the Institute where he conducts his research. He has also acquired editorial experience working for several international journals for several years.

Ecological Applications

“I see Ecological Applications as a leading journal in its field, with a unique, strong impact on environmental policies and management. Of course, I cannot but feel humbly honored to serve as the new Editor in Chief. Added to the challenge of sustaining its mark, and as non-U.S. citizen myself, I expect to favor international scope and impact. There is clearly a standing need for ecologically sound decision making in several developing economies, that in many cases harbor unique ecosystems and concentrate much of the world’s biodiversity. I cannot imagine their sustainability without solid ecological data. Ecological Applications is the natural output for much of such information,” Corley said.  

Ecological Applications publishes research and discussion papers that integrate ecological science and concepts with their application and implications. Of special interest are papers that develop the basic scientific principles on which environmental decision-making should rest, and those that discuss the application of ecological concepts to environmental problem solving, policy, and management. Corley begins his tenure Jan. 1, 2021. 

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The Ecological Society of America (ESA), founded in 1915, is the world’s largest community of professional ecologists and a trusted source of ecological knowledge, committed to advancing the understanding of life on Earth. The 9,000 member Society publishes five journals and a membership bulletin and broadly shares ecological information through policy, media outreach, and education initiatives. The Society’s Annual Meeting attracts 3,000-4,000 attendees and features the most recent advances in ecological science. Visit the ESA website at https://www.esa.org.