Stephen P. Hubbell
Encyclopedia
Stephen P. Hubbell is an American ecologist on the faculty of the University of California, Los Angeles
. He is author and proponent of the unified neutral theory of biodiversity and biogeography (UNTB), which seeks to explain the diversity and relative abundance of species
in ecological communities. Dr. Hubbell is also a staff scientist at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute
in Balboa
, Panama
.
Stephen Hubbell was born in Gainesville
, Florida
. He earned his doctorate
in zoology
at the University of California, Berkeley
, in 1969. As a professor at the University of Michigan
, he taught graduate courses for the Organization for Tropical Studies
in Costa Rica
. Later, at Princeton University
, as a professor of ecology and evolutionary biology, he continued study of the population biology of tropical trees.
In 2003, Dr. Hubbell became Distinguished Research Professor in the Department of Plant Biology at the University of Georgia.
As a Fellow
at the Pew Institute for Ocean Science, Hubbell initiated the establishment of the National Council for Science and the Environment
(NCSE), which works with the parties that create and use environmental knowledge to influence environmental decisions.
Dr. Hubbell is married to evolutionary ecologist Patricia Adair Gowaty
, who is also a Distinguished Professor at the University of California, Los Angeles
.
University of California, Los Angeles
The University of California, Los Angeles is a public research university located in the Westwood neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, USA. It was founded in 1919 as the "Southern Branch" of the University of California and is the second oldest of the ten campuses...
. He is author and proponent of the unified neutral theory of biodiversity and biogeography (UNTB), which seeks to explain the diversity and relative abundance of species
Species
In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...
in ecological communities. Dr. Hubbell is also a staff scientist at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute
Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute
The Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute in Panama, the only bureau of the Smithsonian Institution based outside of the United States, is dedicated to understanding biological diversity. What began in 1923 as small field station on Barro Colorado Island in the Panama Canal Zone has developed...
in Balboa
Balboa, Panama
Balboa is a district of Panama City, located at the Pacific entrance to the Panama Canal.- History :The town of Balboa, founded by the United States during the construction of the Panama Canal, was named after Vasco Núñez de Balboa, the Spanish conquistador credited with discovering the Pacific Ocean...
, Panama
Panama
Panama , officially the Republic of Panama , is the southernmost country of Central America. Situated on the isthmus connecting North and South America, it is bordered by Costa Rica to the northwest, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean Sea to the north and the Pacific Ocean to the south. The...
.
Stephen Hubbell was born in Gainesville
Gainesville, Florida
Gainesville is the largest city in, and the county seat of, Alachua County, Florida, United States as well as the principal city of the Gainesville, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area . The preliminary 2010 Census population count for Gainesville is 124,354. Gainesville is home to the sixth...
, Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
. He earned his doctorate
Doctorate
A doctorate is an academic degree or professional degree that in most countries refers to a class of degrees which qualify the holder to teach in a specific field, A doctorate is an academic degree or professional degree that in most countries refers to a class of degrees which qualify the holder...
in zoology
Zoology
Zoology |zoölogy]]), is the branch of biology that relates to the animal kingdom, including the structure, embryology, evolution, classification, habits, and distribution of all animals, both living and extinct...
at the University of California, Berkeley
University of California, Berkeley
The University of California, Berkeley , is a teaching and research university established in 1868 and located in Berkeley, California, USA...
, in 1969. As a professor at the University of Michigan
University of Michigan
The University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...
, he taught graduate courses for the Organization for Tropical Studies
Organization for Tropical Studies
The Organization for Tropical Studies is a network of ecological research stations created in Costa Rica in 1963. OTS is run by a non-profit consortium of 63 universities, based in the United States, Australia and Latin America . The corporate headquarters of OTS are at Duke University, in...
in Costa Rica
Costa Rica
Costa Rica , officially the Republic of Costa Rica is a multilingual, multiethnic and multicultural country in Central America, bordered by Nicaragua to the north, Panama to the southeast, the Pacific Ocean to the west and the Caribbean Sea to the east....
. Later, at Princeton University
Princeton University
Princeton University is a private research university located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. The school is one of the eight universities of the Ivy League, and is one of the nine Colonial Colleges founded before the American Revolution....
, as a professor of ecology and evolutionary biology, he continued study of the population biology of tropical trees.
In 2003, Dr. Hubbell became Distinguished Research Professor in the Department of Plant Biology at the University of Georgia.
As a Fellow
Fellow
A fellow in the broadest sense is someone who is an equal or a comrade. The term fellow is also used to describe a person, particularly by those in the upper social classes. It is most often used in an academic context: a fellow is often part of an elite group of learned people who are awarded...
at the Pew Institute for Ocean Science, Hubbell initiated the establishment of the National Council for Science and the Environment
National Council for Science and the Environment
The National Council for Science and the Environment is a U.S. based non-profit organization which has a mission to improve the scientific basis for environmental decision-making...
(NCSE), which works with the parties that create and use environmental knowledge to influence environmental decisions.
Dr. Hubbell is married to evolutionary ecologist Patricia Adair Gowaty
Patricia Adair Gowaty
Patricia Adair Gowaty is an American evolutionary biologist. She received her B.A. in biology at Tulane University and her PhD in zoology at Clemson University in 1980. She is currently a Distinguished Professor at the University of California, Los Angeles....
, who is also a Distinguished Professor at the University of California, Los Angeles
University of California, Los Angeles
The University of California, Los Angeles is a public research university located in the Westwood neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, USA. It was founded in 1919 as the "Southern Branch" of the University of California and is the second oldest of the ten campuses...
.
Education and honors
- Bachelor of ArtsBachelor of ArtsA Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
, Biology, 1963, Carleton CollegeCarleton CollegeCarleton College is an independent non-sectarian, coeducational, liberal arts college in Northfield, Minnesota, USA. The college enrolls 1,958 undergraduate students, and employs 198 full-time faculty members. In 2012 U.S...
- Ph.D.Ph.D.A Ph.D. is a Doctor of Philosophy, an academic degree.Ph.D. may also refer to:* Ph.D. , a 1980s British group*Piled Higher and Deeper, a web comic strip*PhD: Phantasy Degree, a Korean comic series* PhD Docbook renderer, an XML renderer...
, Zoology, 1969, University of California Berkeley, California
- Pew Fellows Program in Conservation and the Environment, Fellow, 1990
- National Council for Science and the Environment, Chair, 1991–
- American Academy of Arts and Sciences, Fellow, 2003
- W.S. Cooper Award, Ecological Society of AmericaEcological Society of AmericaThe Ecological Society of America is a professional organization of ecological scientists. Based in the United States, ESA publishes a suite of publications, from peer-reviewed journals to newsletters, fact sheets and teaching resources. It holds an annual meeting at different locations in the...
, 2006
- Eminent Ecologist Award, Ecological Society of AmericaEcological Society of AmericaThe Ecological Society of America is a professional organization of ecological scientists. Based in the United States, ESA publishes a suite of publications, from peer-reviewed journals to newsletters, fact sheets and teaching resources. It holds an annual meeting at different locations in the...
, 2009
External links
- Scientific American Interview with Steve Hubbell