RELATED LINKS
Bryson Professors
The Bryson Professor carries out research, teaching, and public service in the socially relevant environmental and climate sciences in the spirit of the integrative approach pioneered by Reid A. Bryson. The professorship requires a unique combination of disciplinary research skills, interdisciplinary capabilities, vision and leadership qualities. The CPEP Board selects the Bryson Professor who holds the position between three to five years. In some cases limited annual extensions are made possible in appropriate circumstances. Since the inception of the program, there have been four named CPEP Professor. They are outlined by year of designation.
2019 - Present
Ankur Desai
PhD, Pennsylvania State University
Professor Desai and his ecometeorology lab develop new ways to understand how the surface of the Earth modifies climate and weather, and how changes in climate and weather patterns, in turn, affect ecosystems. His work relies on long term field studies of ecosystem dynamics, computer models of land-atmosphere feedbacks, and theoretical advancement of lower atmosphere processes. He runs a set of long-term carbon and water cycle eddy covariance field experiment sites in Northern Wisconsin and Michigan as part of the Ameriflux program. Desai also serves as director of graduate studies for Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences, editor of Journal of Geophysical Research-Biogeosciences, and member of the National Ecological Observatory Network science advisory committee. He is co-PI of the NSF North Temperate Lakes Long Term Ecological Research (LTER) site. He received his Bachelor's degree in computer science and environmental studies from Oberlin College, a Master's in Geography from University of Minnesota, and a Ph.D. in Meteorology from The Pennsylvania State University.
WEBSITE »
2016 - 2017
Galen McKinley
PhD, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Professor McKinley studies the mechanisms of the carbon cycle in the global oceans and Great Lakes, with her research lying at the intersection of physical and chemical oceanography. Her primary tools are numerical models and analysis of large datasets. More specifically, her research addresses the physical drivers of ecosystem and carbon cycle variability in the North Atlantic, global oceans and Great Lakes. Professor McKinley teaches in the Department of Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences. Professor McKinley is also active in service to the national and international scientific and policy-making communities.
WEBSITE »
2012 - 2016
Daniel J. Vimont
Ph.D., University of Washington
Dr. Vimont's research focuses on mechanisms of climate variability and climate change, interactions between weather and climate, and impacts of climate variability and climate change. Some of his recent projects include: 1) The Wisconsin Initiative on Climate Change Impacts: Assessing and adapting to climate change in Wisconsin; 2) Tropical Pacific Ocean/Atmosphere Interactions: Dynamics of El Nino/ the Southern Oscillation (ENSO), and how ENSO may change under global warming; 3) Atlantic Climate Variability: Connections between high-latitude and tropical climate variability in the Atlantic, and potential impacts on tropical cyclone (hurricane) activity; 4) Aerosols and Climate Change: Understand the role of aerosols (e.g. dust) in historical records of climate change.
WEBSITE »
2008 - 2012
John W. (Jack) Williams
Ph.D., Brown University
Jack Williams studies the responses of plant species and communities to climate change. Much of his work has focused on mapping and modeling the shifting distributions of species during the last deglaciation (ca. 21,000 years ago to present), a time characterized by abrupt climate changes, rising CO2 concentrations, and progressive sea-level rise - in short, a time period with informative similarities to our own. Dr. Williams teaches in Geography and serves as director at the Nelson Center for Climatic Research (CCR).
WEBSITE »
2003 - 2008
Sara Hotchkiss
Ph.D., University of Minnesota
Dr. Hotchkiss's research uses paleoecological methods to study how rare events and slow changes shape ecological history. Her work provides perspective on observations of modern ecosystems, predictions of ecosystem trajectories, and management planning. Her current projects include studies of human-landscape interactions, climate history, vegetation history, disturbance, species invasion, and ecosystem development. Geographically, her research covers the upper Midwest, Hawaii, and the Pacific. Dr. Hotchkiss currently lectures in Botany and directs graduate seminars at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
WEBSITE »
1993 - 2000
Jonathan Foley
Ph.D., University of Wisconsin-Madison
Jonathan A. Foley was named the first Distinguished Professor of Climate, People, and Environment. Foley's research interests include climate dynamics, global biogeochemistry, vegetation ecology, and human ecology. Among other things, he also worked on developing computer simulations of the global climate and biosphere to help predict the effects of human activity on the global environment. Subsequent to his CPEP Professorship, Dr. Foley became the founder and Director of the Center for Sustainability and the Global Environment (SAGE). And later the director of the Institute on the Environment at the University of Minnesota.