Biosketch
James Elser is Bierman Professor of Ecology of the University of Montana and since March 2016 has been Director of UM’s Flathead Lake Biological Station at Yellow Bay. He also holds a part-time research faculty position in the School of Sustainability at Arizona State University where he directs the Sustainable Phosphorus Alliance. Dr Elser holds a PhD from the University of California (Davis), an MS degree from the University of Tennessee, and a BS degree from the University of Notre Dame.
Trained as a limnologist, Dr Elser is best known for his work in developing and testing the theory of ecological stoichiometry, the study of the balance of energy and multiple chemical elements in ecological systems, and for his work on phosphorus sustainability. Currently, Dr Elser’s research focuses most intensively on Flathead Lake as well as mountain lakes of western Montana along with work on phosphorus sustainability via the STEPS Science & Technology Center. He has been named a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) and a foreign member of the Norwegian Academy of Arts and Sciences. In 2012 Dr Elser received the G.E. Hutchinson Award of the Association for the Sciences of Limnology and Oceanography (ASLO), the world’s largest scientific association dedicated to aquatic sciences. During 2014-2016 he served as ASLO’s President. In recognition of his scientific accomplishments, in 2019 Dr Elser was elected to the National Academy of Sciences.
Research Interests
James Elser's research focuses on developing and testing the theory of ecological stoichiometry with particular focus on the role of nutrient limitation in ecology. More recently he has extended the theory beyond ecology in the form of biological stoichiometry, with applications in evolutionary biology, astrobiology, and cancer. His current field research is aimed most intensively on Flathead Lake as well as mountain lakes of western Montana and western China. Specific studies have involved observational and experimental work at various scales, including laboratory cultures, short-term field experiments and sustained whole-ecosystem manipulations. Elser's past field sites have included the Experimental Lakes Area in Ontario, Canada; lakes of the Arctic and of Patagonia; lakes, forests, and grasslands of the upper Midwest USA and Inner Mongolia in China; and desert springs in Mexico's Chihuahuan Desert. Elser also works intensively in advancing the science of phosphorus sustainability in the food system to protect water quality and address food security.
Membership Type
Member
Election Year
2019
Primary Section
Section 63: Environmental Sciences and Ecology