Welcome Karen Abbott – New SE
Submitted by editor on 13 November 2024.
We are happy to welcome Dr. Karen Abbott, Professor at the Department of Biology of Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, USA, to the Oikos Editorial Board. To know more about her, read our interview below!
Website: https://abbottlab480702554.wordpress.com
What's your main research focus at the moment?
I am working with collaborators from ecology and physics to understand connections between how statistical physicists and ecologists quantify and understand spatial patterns. Statistical physics emphasizes stochastic processes whereas ecology focuses heavily on deterministic, density-dependent feedbacks. Great progress has been made from both ends, and we’re interested in discovering what we can learn when we meet in the middle.
Can you describe your research career? Where, what, when?
I graduated with a B.S. from Vanderbilt University in 2001 with majors in both biology and mathematics, and got my Ph.D. in Ecology & Evolution in Greg Dwyer’s lab at the University of Chicago in 2006. Following a postdoc with Tony Ives at the University of Wisconsin, I started at Iowa State in 2009 as an assistant professor of Ecology, Evolution and Organismal Biology. In 2013, I moved to my current position in the Biology department at Case Western Reserve, a mid-sized research intensive university in Cleveland, Ohio USA.
How come that you became a scientist in ecology?
I have always loved nature and I have always loved trying to figure out how things work and why they work the way they do. Theoretical ecology allows me to work to uncover the rules of nature, so it’s a great fit.
What do you do when you're not working?
I row with my local masters team, Western Reserve Rowing Association. We practice on the Cuyahoga River and travel throughout the US and Canada to compete. I also enjoy running. I love to travel, but equally love to relax at home with my long-time partner in the company of our 3 affectionate cats and 2 geriatric fire-bellied toads.
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