Jason R. Rohr, the Ludmilla F., Stephen J., and Robert T. Galla Professor and Chair of the Department of Biological Sciences at the University of Notre Dame, has been named a 2025 Fellow of the Ecological Society of America (ESA).

This recognition honors his outstanding contributions to ecological science, particularly at the intersection of ecology and public health. Rohr is one of just eight Fellows confirmed this year.

“Being selected as a Fellow of the Ecological Society of America is such a prestigious distinction and I am so honored to be part of this select group of talented and accomplished ecologists,” Rohr said.

Rohr's research focuses on how environmental changes—such as climate change, pollution, and biodiversity loss—impact wildlife populations, species interactions, and the spread of diseases affecting both humans and animals. His interdisciplinary approach combines fieldwork, laboratory experiments, and modeling to address complex ecological and public health challenges.

Rohr's work has been widely published in leading scientific journals, including Nature, Science, and Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. He has received numerous accolades, such as the 2024 International Frontiers Planet Prize for his innovative research addressing disease, food, and water challenges in Africa. He was the founding chair of ESA’s Disease Ecology Section and serves as an associate editor for the Journal of Applied Ecology.

The ESA Fellows program, established in 2012, recognizes members who have made exceptional contributions to the advancement or application of ecological knowledge in academics, government, non-profit organizations, and the broader society. Fellows are elected for life and are celebrated for their leadership in ecological science.

The recognition not only affirms the impact and import of the work throughout Rohr’s career, he said, but also helps to elevate the national and international profile of the Department of Biological Sciences at the University of Notre Dame.

“Most importantly, this recognition underscores a steadfast commitment to advancing the importance of ecological and environmental science to humanity at a time when these disciplines, and science more generally, are navigating substantial and persistent dialogues that fail to fully acknowledge their crucial value and relevance,” Rohr said.

He will be formally recognized during a ceremony at ESA’s 2025 Annual Meeting in Baltimore, Maryland.

Originally published by Deanna Csomo Ferrell at science.nd.edu on May 01, 2025.