People

Benjamin Houlton is the Ronald P. Lynch Dean of the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at Cornell University and a professor of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology as well as Global Development. Previously, he was a Professor of Global Environmental Studies at the University of California Davis, and held the distinction of Chancellor's Fellow and Director of the John Muir Institute of the Environment.

Houlton’s work is focused on ecosystem processes, climate change solutions, and changes to global carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus cycles for enhanced energy and food production. At the John Muir Institute, he directs over 150 staff and catalyzes research across more than 300 faculty experts from all of UC Davis’s colleges and professional schools with the goal of devising innovative solutions to the environmental sustainability challenges. Most recently, he has been spear-heading the new OneClimate 'Big Idea,' an interdisciplinary, team-based approach to reduce greenhouse gas pollution and help people and ecosystems adapt to an uncertain climate future. Houlton is Co-Chair of the California Collaborative for Climate Change Solutions and member of the UC Global Climate Leadership Council.  

His work has appeared in leading scientific journals and popular media outlets. He is a recipient of numerous awards, including the Gene E. Likens Award from the Ecological Society of America, the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation Young Investigator Award, and the NSF-CAREER award.