Bio

Josh Lawler is the Orin and Althea Soest Professor in the School of Environmental and Forest Sciences, the associated director of Nature & Health, and the faculty director of the UW Botanic Gardens, at the University of Washington. He received his bachelor’s degree  from Bowdoin College and his master’s and doctoral degrees in ecology from Utah State University. Josh is a landscape ecologist and conservation biologist driven by applied conservation questions and their real-world applications.

Much of his work has focused on how climate change and land-use change affect species distributions, animal population dynamics, and community composition at regional and continental scales, as well as how time spent in more natural environments can affect human health. His research involves investigating the effects of climate change on species distributions and populations, exploring the influence of landscape pattern on animal populations and communities, climate-change adaptation for natural and human systems, and multiple aspects of the connections between time spent in nature and mental and physical health. He enjoys backpacking, sailing, and fishing—mostly with his family, including his two teenage sons.

Learn More About Josh’s Research