Press Releases
June 17, 2011
Eric Davidson Named WHRC Executive Director
The Woods Hole Research Center Board of Directors selected Eric Davidson as the new Executive Director on Friday, June 17.
Wilhelm Merck, Chairman of the Board, said, “Eric’s selection is an exciting move forward for the Center. His distinguished career as a scientist, coupled with his knowledge of and dedication to the institution, lays the groundwork for us to continue remarkable accomplishments in science, education, and policy for a world that works.”
Dr. Davidson is an ecologist, soil scientist, and biogeochemist interested in the role of soil microorganisms as processors of carbon and nitrogen. He has studied the exchange of carbon and nitrogen gases, including heat-trapping greenhouse gases, between the soil and the atmosphere. His research addresses how human management of the land affects greenhouse gases production and consumption within soils and losses of nutrients to streams and groundwater. Davidson is also interested in the interface of science, policy, and education, and has published on ecological economics and human alteration of the nitrogen cycle.
Dr. Davidson serves as President-Elect of the Biogeosciences Section of the American Geophysical Union. He is a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and has been named as a Highly Cited Researcher by the Institute for Scientific Information. He earned his doctorate in forestry at North Carolina State University.
Davidson said, “I am honored to follow in the footsteps of George Woodwell, John Holdren, William Brown, and Richard Houghton. My predecessors built an institution that is known world-wide for conducting top-notch scientific research on forests, soils, and water, and then engaging stakeholders with the scientific results to search for policy solutions to our environmental problems. In this world of rapidly changing climate, loss of wildlife habitat, and increasing demands for food and energy, we have much work to do to find science-based solutions for wisely managing and conserving the natural resources upon which we depend for our sustenance and prosperity. The WHRC has a great team of scientists, policy experts, and support staff, and I look forward to working with them to advance our mission of science for sustained human well being and environmental stewardship.”
For more information, please contact:
Elizabeth Braun
Director of Communications
Woods Hole Research Center
508 444 1509
