Glen M. MacDonald, an international authority on the environmental effects of climate change and drought, has been named director of the UCLA Institute of the Environment.

 

MacDonald, a UCLA professor of geography and of ecology and evolutionary biology, assumed leadership of the multidisciplinary institute July 1.

 

"Professor MacDonald's wide-ranging expertise in environmental research, passion for teaching and proven ability to work with disparate groups to serve the public interest make him an ideal leader for the UCLA Institute of the Environment," said UCLA Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost Scott Waugh, who announced the appointment after a nationwide search.

 

"The environmental challenges facing the world today are complex, and effectively meeting these challenges requires multifaceted solutions involving not only science but economics, law, public policy and a wide range of other disciplines," said MacDonald, a UCLA professor since 1995. "With affiliated faculty from across campus and a record of partnership with both government agencies and grassroots organizations, the UCLA Institute of the Environment is in a strong position to build on its success and lead the way in developing new broad-based strategies to tackle the most pressing environmental issues."

 

MacDonald researches climate change and drought around the world and how they affect various environments and the management of increasingly limited water resources. An important area of additional research has been the general topic of climate warming and the Arctic.

 

MacDonald utilizes lake sediment cores, tree rings and other data to produce lengthy records of climate and environmental change and applies insights from these records to current environmental problems, including global warming. He and his research teams have worked in Canada, Mexico, Egypt, Syria, India, West Africa, Russian Eurasia and the southwestern United States.

 

MacDonald is a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. In 2008, he was awarded a prestigious Guggenheim Fellowship to research drought vulnerabilities and mitigation strategies worldwide and to better understand the potential effects of future droughts — a subject on which he is preparing a book. MacDonald, who has a strong commitment to education, has also won a UCLA Distinguished Teaching Award.

 

MacDonald said among his immediate goals is to increase the Institute of the Environment's visibility by weighing in regularly on top environmental issues with the news media, government regulators and community-based organizations, especially in Southern California.

 

"I want the IOE to be a strong catalyst for bringing together and supporting environmental research and education across campus and creating even greater synergy within the UCLA community," he said. "At the same time, I want to see the IOE serve as a highly visible portal to UCLA environmental research and a bridge between the academic community and outside policymakers and stakeholders."

 

MacDonald said he aims to increase dialogue and pursue partnerships with corporate entities and government agencies to work toward environmental solutions.

 

"Today's environmental challenges require new and integrated approaches that bring together researchers, government, business, the media and the public," he said. "I am particularly keen on the role of mass media in drawing attention to environmental issues and enterprise in developing economically viable solutions. California has long been a center of innovation for mass-media and technological entrepreneurship, and the UCLA Institute of the Environment will help foster strategies to carry that same spirit forward to tackle environmental challenges."

 

MacDonald succeeds ecology and evolutionary biology professor Tom Smith, who had served as acting director of the institute since August 2007. Smith, a conservation biologist and ecologist and director of the institute's Center for Tropical Research, has developed new theories on how species of birds and other animals evolve in rainforests.

 

MacDonald praised his predecessor for maintaining strong research and educational programs while developing stronger community ties and organizing an advisory board of leading environmental advocates.

 

The UCLA Institute of the Environment, founded in 1997, seeks to generate knowledge and provide solutions for regional and global environmental problems and to educate the next generation of professional leaders committed to the health of the planet. The institute includes faculty from multiple academic divisions and professional schools, including public health, engineering, management, atmospheric sciences, ecology and evolutionary biology, law, and urban planning. Through the institute and six academic departments, UCLA began offering an innovative multidisciplinary major in environmental science in 2006. The major has proven popular, with approximately 170 students enrolled.

 

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