Leader in global nitrogen cycle research Eric Davidson named Jefferson Science Fellow

CAMBRIDGE, MD (April 12, 2021)–University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science Professor and Appalachian Laboratory Director Eric A. Davidson, an international leader in global nitrogen cycle research, has been named a Jefferson Science Fellow. Beginning August 2021, he will spend a year as a science advisor to the Bureau of Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs, Office of Environmental Quality in Washington, D.C.

“This prestigious appointment illustrates the expertise and experience of UMCES scientists and the impact they are making helping to solve environmental challenges on a global scale,” said UMCES President Peter Goodwin.

The Jefferson Science Fellows program, administered by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine and is supported by the U.S. Department of State and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), serves to engage the American academic science, technology, engineering, and medical communities in U.S. foreign policy and international development.

“While working as a Jefferson Fellow, I hope that I can contribute my skills and knowledge of environmental and agronomic science to help inform the current and future positions of our government on multinational environmental agreements,” said Davidson, who is director of UMCES’ Appalachian Laboratory. “The perspective and experience will make me a more effective participant in future efforts in international science and policy.”

Davisdon is an ecologist, soil scientist, and biogeochemist whose research career has focused on how human changes to the land affect carbon and nitrogen in soil, water, and air.

He conducts research on the global nitrogen and carbon cycles, indicators of sustainable agriculture, and the challenges of sustainably managing the environment while promoting economic development and human well-being.

He is a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and a Fellow and Past-President of the American Geophysical Union. He served as the leader of a Research Coordination Network on Reactive Nitrogen in the Environment. He has also served as the North American Center Director of the International Nitrogen Initiative, a group of academic and government scientists focused on balancing the positive and negative impacts of human acceleration of the global nitrogen cycle.

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The University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science (UMCES) is a leading research and educational institution working to understand and manage the world’s resources. From a network of laboratories spanning from the Allegheny Mountains to the Atlantic Ocean, UMCES scientists provide sound advice to help state and national leaders manage the environment and prepare future scientists to meet the global challenges of the 21st century.