Alan Hastings is a theoretical ecologist

Theoretical ecology

Theoretical ecology is the scientific discipline devoted to the study of ecological systems using theoretical methods such as simple conceptual models, mathematical models, computational simulations, and advanced data analysis...

 and distinguished professor in the Department of Environmental Science and Policy at the University of California, Davis

University of California, Davis

The University of California, Davis is a public teaching and research university established in 1905 and located in Davis, California, USA. Spanning over , the campus is the largest within the University of California system and third largest by enrollment...

. In 2005 he became a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences

American Academy of Arts and Sciences

The American Academy of Arts and Sciences is an independent policy research center that conducts multidisciplinary studies of complex and emerging problems. The Academy’s elected members are leaders in the academic disciplines, the arts, business, and public affairs.James Bowdoin, John Adams, and...

 and in 2006 he won the Robert H. MacArthur Award

Robert H. MacArthur Award

The Robert H. MacArthur Award is given biannually by the Ecological Society of America to an established ecologist in mid-career for meritorious contributions to ecology, in the expectation of continued outstanding ecological research...

. In 2008 he founded the Journal of Theoretical Ecology, in which he currently holds the position of editor in chief

Editor in chief

An editor-in-chief is a publication's primary editor, having final responsibility for the operations and policies. Additionally, the editor-in-chief is held accountable for delegating tasks to staff members as well as keeping up with the time it takes them to complete their task...

. Formerly, he was co-editor in chief of the Journal of Mathematical Biology

Journal of Mathematical Biology

Journal of Mathematical Biology is a peer-reviewed, mathematics journal, published by Springer Verlag.Founded in 1974, the journal publishes articles on Biology statistics, and Mathematical biology. It is the official journal of the European Society for Mathematical and Theoretical Biology. The...

. His research expands through many areas in theoretical ecology including spatial ecology

Spatial ecology

Spatial ecology is a specialization of ecologyand geography that is concerned with the identification of spatial patterns and their relationships to ecological events. In spatial ecology, ecological events can be explained through the detection of patterns at a given spatial scale; local,...

, biological invasions, structured populations, and model fitting.