UCSB professors honored by Ecological Society of America

Two UC Santa Barbara faculty members have been named among the Ecological Society of America’s 2026 fellows. The organization has honored Professor Deron Burkepile as a Fellow and named Assistant Professor Yong Zhou as an Early Career Fellow. The two scientists join an exclusive group of only eight and ten, respectively, this year.

“On behalf of the entire EEMB department, I am delighted to congratulate Yong Zhou and Deron Burkepile on these well-deserved honors from the Ecological Society of America,” said Todd Oakley, chair of the Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Marine Biology (EEMB). “These recognitions reflect the excellence and impact of their scholarship. We are proud to celebrate their contributions to our department and to recognize them as leaders in ecology.”

The Ecological Society of America (ESA) established its fellows program in 2012 to recognize the work of member researchers. Full Fellows are members who have made outstanding contributions to a wide range of fields served by ESA. Early Career Fellows are those who have advanced ecological knowledge and applications within eight years of completing their doctoral training (or other terminal degree) and show promise of continuing to make outstanding contributions. Early Career Fellows are elected for five years, while full Fellows are elected for life.

The society will celebrate its new class of fellows during a ceremony on July 27 at their 2026 annual meeting in Salt Lake City, Utah.