Alex Perkins Named Early Career Fellow by the Ecological Society of America

The University of Notre Dame’s Alex Perkins, Eck Family Assistant Professor, and member of the Department of Biological Sciences, the Department of Applied and Computational Mathematics and Statistics, the Eck Institute for Global Health, and the Environmental Change Initiative, was named a 2017 Early Career Fellow by the Ecological Society of America (ESA).

Perkins was one of only seven individuals nationwide honored as an Early Career Fellow this year. The Society’s fellowship program recognizes the many ways in which its members contribute to ecological research and discovery, communication, education and pedagogy, and management and policy. Early Career Fellows are members who are within eight years of completing their doctoral training, have advanced ecological knowledge and applications and show promise of continuing to make outstanding contributions to a wide range of fields served by the ESA. Other honorees include scientists from institutions such as Princeton University, University of California–Irvine, Michigan State University, University of Washington, University of British Columbia, and Oak Ridge National Laboratory.

Speaking on his recent honor, Perkins said “It is very humbling to be associated with this group of ESA Fellows and Early Career Fellows, so many of whom I have long had great respect and admiration for.” He finds it “very encouraging to see ESA recognize not only those who work on core topics in ecology but also those who work on important applications of ecology, including my area of infectious disease dynamics.” Perkins’ research uses mathematical, computational, and statistical approaches to better understand infectious diseases. His lab specializes in dengue, malaria, chikungunya, Zika, and other diseases caused by mosquito-borne pathogens. More information on his work can be found here.

Crislyn D’Souza-Schorey, Pollard Professor & Department Chair of Biological Sciences, says that Perkins’ recognition is, “a well-deserved honor and fitting recognition of his considerable promise to make outstanding contributions to his field. Alex’s research on the complex ecology and transmission of highly current infectious diseases is of critical importance to the future of global health.”

The Ecological Society of America, founded in 1915, is the world’s largest community of professional ecologists and a trusted source of ecological knowledge, committed to advancing the understanding of life on Earth. The 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 respective institutions, and in broader society.

Originally published by Grant Johnson at science.nd.edu on February 06, 2017.

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