Prof. Oswald Schmitz, Professor of Community Ecology at Yale University

Predator community composition is linked to soil carbon retention across a human land use gradient, and Animals and the zoogeochemistry of the carbon cycle

Prof. Oswald Schmitz, Professor of Population and Community Ecology in the Yale University School of Environment. His research aims to make sense of nature’s complexity that comes from interdependencies among the variety of carnivore, herbivore, and plant species that coexist within ecosystems. These insights help to inform environmental stewardship to enhance the conservation of wildlife species and ensure the sustainability of ecosystems, their functions, and the services that they provide to humankind.

He teaches courses on the role of humans in nature and how humans can develop the means to coexist harmoniously with nature. His book “The New Ecology: Rethinking a Science for the Anthropocene” encapsulates much of his thinking about humans and nature, making ecological science accessible to a broader readership.