Ecologist Joan Dudney studies forest change in a warming world
by Harrison Tasoff, University of California, Santa Barbara
April 29, 2025
The natural world is currently experiencing many changes that threaten critical species and natural resources. Recognizing and understanding the often intertwined causes of these changes is tricky, and precisely the focus of Joan Dudney’s research.
“I’m not only quantifying complex and nonlinear patterns of forest change but also uncovering the precise causes behind them,” said Dudney, an assistant professor at the Bren School of Environmental Science & Management and in the Department of Environmental Studies.
The Ecological Society of America has named Dudney as one of its 2025 Early Career Fellows. The society extends this honor to members within eight years of completing their doctoral training who have advanced the study of ecology and show promise of continuing to make outstanding contributions. ESA recognized Dudney for her innovative quantitative approaches to disentangle the impacts of climate change and disturbance on ecosystems, which can inform conservation decisions.
“The Ecological Society of America has been such an important pillar during my scientific education, and I have long looked up to the many scientists before me who have made transformative contributions to this field,” Dudney said. “To be recognized by ESA at this stage is an amazing honor and a big motivator to keep pushing the boundaries of what we know about ecosystem change.”
Keep reading: https://news.ucsb.edu/2025/021853/ecologist-joan-dudney-studies-forest-change-warming-world
Read the ESA press release: https://esa.org/blog/2025/04/29/ecological-society-of-america-announces-2025-fellows/