UW’s Claire Willing named fellow of Ecological Society of America

by Gillian Dohrn, University of Washington
April 15, 2026

The Ecological Society of America on Wednesday announced recipients of its 2026 fellowship awards. Claire Willing, a University of Washington assistant professor of environmental and forest science, was named an Early Career Fellow, which recognizes scientists for contributions to advancing and applying ecological knowledge within eight years of completing a doctorate.

Willing studies how microbes respond, and help plants cope with, environmental change. Her lab focuses on fungi and other microbes living near plant roots. Much like the gut microbiome, these communities play a critical role in plant nutrition, immune function and overall forest health.

Willing’s lab focuses on understanding these communities and how they are shifting with climate change. Her research integrates methods from various scientific disciplines to gain insight into the ecosystem-wide impact of fungi.

“I work across pretty diverse fields, from fungal ecology to plant and forest ecology,” Willing said. “Integrating everything together is challenging, but I think it’s a critical intersection to study right now and this award is a nice acknowledgement of that.”

Keep reading: https://www.washington.edu/news/2026/04/15/uws-claire-willing-named-fellow-of-ecological-society-of-america/

Read the ESA announcement: https://esa.org/blog/2026/04/15/ecological-society-of-america-announces-2026-fellows/