University of Arizona professor Donald Falk named 2026 ESA Fellow
The Ecological Society of America is pleased to announce its 2026 Fellows. 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 eight 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.
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.
ESA established its Fellows program in 2012 with the goal of honoring its members and supporting their competitiveness and advancement to leadership positions in the Society, at their institutions, and in broader society. Past ESA Fellows and Early Career Fellows are listed on the ESA Fellows page.
“These Fellows and Early Career Fellows represent a remarkable group of scientists whose contributions are shaping the direction of ecological research and its application,” said ESA President Peter Groffman. “I am delighted to see their achievements recognized by their peers. Their work is expanding how we understand ecological systems while also informing decisions that affect ecosystems and communities. ESA is proud to count them among its members, and we look forward to the continued impact of their work.”
Among the newly announced Fellows is University of Arizona professor Dr. Donald Falk from the School of Natural Resources and Environment and Laboratory of Tree-Ring Research in the College of Science.
Dr. Falk’s research focuses on fire history, fire ecology and ecological resilience as key to adaptation in a rapidly changing world. He is a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), and has received the ESA Paleoecology Section’s Deevey Award and the University of Arizona Division of Agriculture, Life and Veterinary Sciences, and Cooperative Extension (ALVSCE) Eminent Researcher award.
Falk was a delegate to the 2015 United Nations Climate Change Conference and leads degree programs in Global Change Ecology and Management. He was the co-founder and Executive Director of the Center for Plant Conservation, and the first Executive Director of the Society for Ecological Restoration. Falk holds an M.A. from Tufts University and a Ph.D. from the University of Arizona.
The ESA will formally acknowledge and celebrate its new Fellows for their exceptional achievements during a ceremony July 27, 2026, at ESA’s Annual Meeting in Salt Lake City, Utah.
Click here to learn more about the ESA's 2026 Fellows and Early Career Fellows.