Marc Cadotte, PhD
Prof. Marc Cadotte was trained as a community ecologist, first as an MSc student under Jonathan Lovett-Doust at the University of Windsor in Canada, examining the effects of forest fragmentation on forest structure in Madagascar coastal rain forests, then as a PhD student with Jim Drake at the University of Tennessee combining ecological theory with experiments (PhD 2006). He was postdoctoral research fellow at the National Centre for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis in Santa Barbara, California, USA, where he examined the role of evolutionary relationships among species in influencing the health and functioning of ecosystems. He is currently a Professor of biological sciences at the University of Toronto-Scarborough where he also held the term-limited endowed TD Professor of Urban Forest Conservation and Biology chair (2013-2019). In 2020, he was elected Member of the College of New Scholars, Artists and Scientists, The Royal Society of Canada. He is also the Editor-in-Chief of Ecological Solutions and Evidence and Chair of Applied Ecology Resources, two new publication projects developed with the British Ecological Society and which provide a new communication paradigm for traversing the research-practice divide in ecology. He researches the links between biodiversity and ecosystem function, how to predict and control invasive species, and how environmental changes influences the delivery of ecosystem services. He has published more than 200 articles and has pioneered biodiversity measures that quantify species differences. Along with Jonathan Davies, Prof. Cadotte is the author of the recently published book: Phylogenies in Ecology, published by Princeton University Press. Prof. Cadotte has accrued over 28,000 citations and has an H-index of 77 (according to Google Scholar), and is listed on Web of Science’s top 1% most cited scientists in environmental science since 2017.
Kristina Stinson, PhD
Dr. Kristina Stinson is an experimental plant ecologist leading a research team dedicated to understanding how natural selection and plant physiology shape species’ performance in a rapidly changing world. Her lab investigates plant responses to environmental variability in diverse settings, including forests, urban areas, and alpine ecosystems. Her research addresses critical environmental challenges, such as variations in allergenic pollen production, the ecological and economic implications of sugar maple sap production, the impacts of biological invasions, and the consequences of habitat loss. By conducting comprehensive and long-term experiments, her work advances fundamental knowledge in plant population dynamics and ecophysiology while offering scientific guidance for ecological restoration and species conservation. Dr Stinson’s publications, cited over 2,700 times in the past five years, have informed resource management guides, contributed to textbooks, and garnered significant media attention—underscoring her commitment to connecting science with broader societal applications. , Dr. Stinson is also deeply committed to mentoring the next generation of scientists, with a special focus on supporting women and individuals from groups underrepresented in science. Through her leadership, she cultivates an inclusive, collaborative research environment where diverse perspectives drive fundamental research aimed at awareness of the role that plants play in the story of our planet and on ecological restoration practices.
Title: Plants can change the world: Lessons from mountains, mustards, and mycorrhizae
Enrico Bonello, PhD
Enrico Bonello is a chemical and molecular ecologist who studies interactions among trees, fungal pathogens, and insect pests. He is a professor in the Department of Plant Pathology at Ohio State University and also holds, or held, appointments at Wright State University, the University of Florence, Italy, and Nanjing Forestry University, China. He completed an M.Sc. in Forest Sciences at the University of Padova, Italy, and obtained a Ph.D. in Forest Pathology from the University of Oxford, U.K. He then conducted postdoctoral work at GSF München, Germany, and the University of California, Berkeley, and Davis before being hired as an Assistant Professor at Ohio State University in 2000. He was promoted to full professor in 2010. His current research efforts are centered on understanding molecular and chemical mechanisms of tree resistance to both indigenous and alien invasive pathogens and insects, rapid diagnostics, and translation of fundamental knowledge into tools and policies to improve forest health protection around the world.