The Ecological Society of America has announced its 2024 Fellows, with Drs. Phil Robertson and Christine Sprunger of the KBS LTER amongst the members. The Society’s fellowship program recognizes the many ways in which its members contribute to ecological research, communication, education, management and policy. This year, the ESA Governing Board has confirmed nine new Fellows and ten new Early Career Fellows.
Fellows are members who have made outstanding contributions to a wide range of fields served by ESA, including, but not restricted to, those that advance or apply ecological knowledge in academics, government, non-profit organizations and the broader society. They are elected for life.
G. Philip Robertson, University Distinguished Professor, Michigan State University, W.K. Kellogg Biological Station and Department of Plant, Soil and Microbial Sciences
Phil Robertson’s primary research interests are in agricultural ecology, with a focus on nitrogen and carbon dynamics, greenhouse gas fluxes and land management solutions to climate change. Until 2016 he directed the Kellogg Biological Station’s Long-Term Ecological Research (LTER) site, and he previously chaired the LTER Network. Robertson is a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and the Soil Science Society of America, a Clarivate Highly Cited Researcher and has served on numerous national and international advisory and editorial boards and committees. He received his Ph.D. in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology from Indiana University.
Early Career Fellows are members within eight years of completing their doctoral training (or other terminal degree) who have advanced ecological knowledge and applications and show promise of continuing to make outstanding contributions to a wide range of fields served by ESA. They are elected for five years.
Christine D. Sprunger, Assistant Professor of Soil Health, Michigan State University, W.K. Kellogg Biological Station; Department of Plant, Soil and Microbial Sciences; and Plant Resilience Institute
Christine Sprunger’s research focuses on the intersection of agriculture and the environment, where she investigates how various agricultural management practices impact soil health and ecosystem services. In addition, she is interested in understanding how nematode communities can serve as key bioindicators, and she also explores how climate change impacts rhizosphere dynamics and soil food webs. She holds a Ph.D. in Crop and Soil Sciences and Ecology, Evolutionary Biology and Behavior from Michigan State University and was a National Science Foundation Postdoctoral Fellow at Columbia University.