PI’s

Shahid Naeem is Professor of Ecology in the Dept. of Ecology, Evolution, and Environmental Biology and Director of the Earth Institute Center for Environmental Sustainability at Columbia University.  He obtained his PhD from the University of California at Berkeley, was a postdoctoral fellow at Imperial College of London, the University of Copenhagen, and University of Michigan.  He has served on the faculty of the University of Minnesota, the University of Washington, and currently serves on the Faculty of Arts and Sciences and the Earth Institute at Columbia University.  Recipient of the Ecological Society of America’s Buell and Mercer Awards and the Lenfest Distinguished Faculty award at Columbia University, he is also a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and an Aldo Leopold Leadership fellow.  Considered among the "World’s Most Influential Scientific Minds" in environmental and ecological science by Thompson Reuters in 2014, his teaching, research, and publications focus on the importance of biodiversity in the functioning of ecosystems and the services they provide humanity. [CV 2023]

Matt Palmer is a Senior Lecturer in the department of Ecology, Evolution, and Environmental Biology. He received his PhD in Ecology and Evolution from Rutgers University, where he studied plant community ecology. He is currently involved in a range of research and education projects in New York City and the surrounding region. He collaborates with NYC Parks, the US Fish and Wildlife Service, NASA, the USDA Forest Service, and several units within Columbia University on research, teaching, and teacher training initiatives. Current research projects include evaluating the ecosystem functions of green infrastructure, studying the ecosystem consequences of reforestation in NYC, and providing scientific support for the management of both invasive and rare species throughout the region. Matt teaches classes in botany, forest ecology, urban ecology, herpetology, and research methods. Many of these classes involve significant field work.