DURHAM, N.C. – James S. Clark, a Duke University faculty member widely cited for his studies on climate impacts on forests, has received a 2018 Humboldt Research Award in recognition of his lifetime achievements in research.

Clark is Nicholas Professor of Environmental Sciences at Duke’s Nicholas School of the Environment. He also holds faculty appointments as a professor in biology and statistics.

Humboldt Research Awards are presented annually by the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation of Germany to senior scientists and scholars whose fundamental discoveries, new theories, or insights have had a significant impact in their field. Recipients receive a stipend valued at about $71,000 and are invited to spend up to one year cooperating on a long-term research project with specialist colleagues at a research institution in Germany.

A prolific researcher with more than 200 peer-reviewed scientific articles and four books to his credit, Clark’s research focuses on global change and forest biodiversity, including how species coexist and are influenced by changing climate and natural or human disturbance.

In 2016, he led a team of more than 70 scientists to create a national assessment, “Effects of Drought on Forests and Rangelands in the United States: A Comprehensive Science Synthesis,” for the U.S. Forest Service. That report won the Forest Service’s Chief Award, one of the highest honors the agency bestows in recognition of scholarship that contributes to better management practices and improved sustainability for public lands.

He is recipient of numerous professional honors, including being named a Presidential Faculty Fellow by the National Science Foundation; a Fellow of the Ecological Society of America; an Aldo Leopold Leadership Fellow; and a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.

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