UGA Ecology School gets new dean

The University of Georgia names a new dean for its Odum School of Ecology: Dr. Mark Hunter comes to Athens from Ann Arbor, where he has been a professor of ecology and biology at the University of Michigan.

From UGA provost Jack Hu…

Following a nationwide search, the University of Georgia has named Mark D. Hunter as the next dean of the Eugene P. Odum School of Ecology. Dr. Hunter is currently the Earl E. Werner Distinguished University Professor and Henry A. Gleason Collegiate Professor in the department of ecology and evolutionary biology at the University of Michigan.

The deanship marks a return to UGA for Dr. Hunter. In 1995, he joined the university as an assistant professor in the Institute of Ecology, which later grew into the Odum School, the first standalone school of ecology in the world. A member of the faculty for 11 years, Hunter was the founding director of the UGA Center for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Processes, established in 2002 to enhance student research on the role of biodiversity in sustaining the ecosystem services that support life.

He will assume the role of dean on July 1.

Dr. Hunter’s research focuses on plant-animal interactions, ecosystem ecology, biodiversity and population dynamics. In particular, he studies the links between population processes and ecosystem processes in terrestrial environments and explores the mitigation of global environmental change. Dr. Hunter has published more than 170 research articles, written or edited six books and supervised more than 25 graduate students in their research.

His awards include the CAREER Award and the OPUS Award from NSF, as well as numerous awards from the University of Michigan. He also is a lifetime Fellow of the Ecological Society of America. Dr. Hunter earned his bachelor’s degree in zoology and his doctorate in ecology from the University of Oxford.

A nine-member search committee chaired by Denise Spangler, dean of the Mary Frances Early College of Education and Bebe Aderhold Professor in Elementary Education, helped identify finalists for the position. Hunter will succeed Sonia Altizer, who has served as the Odum School’s interim dean since July 2021, when founding dean John L. Gittleman returned to the faculty.

Please join me in thanking Drs. Altizer and Gittleman for their outstanding leadership and service to the Odum School and to the university, and please join me in welcoming Dr. Hunter back to our campus.

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