The National Science Foundation has selected SEFS Associate Professor Brian Harvey as a recipient of its most prestigious award in support of early-career faculty. This award recognizes faculty with the potential to serve as not only academic role models in research and education but individuals with the ability to lead advances in the mission of their department and organization. 

Professor Harvey will use this award to test hypotheses of how landscape patterns of forest fires and forest ecosystem structure interact to affect ecological resilience. This 5-year project will integrate remote sensing data and field measurements in forests of the Pacific Northwest, examining post-fire recovery, short-interval reburns, and potential for fire regime change. Through research, education and training activities this project will enable improved forecasting of forest ecosystem fate during an era of warming climate and accelerating wildfire activity. By bringing undergraduate research scholars into the research team, from a wide diversity of backgrounds, this project aims to broaden societal dialogue around inclusive and equitable management of fire-prone ecosystems all while empowering early-career researchers in fire ecology. 

Learn more about Professor Harvey’s work through the Harvey Lab.