Frank W. Davis, Ph.D.

Board Member

Frank W. Davis, Ph.D., is a distinguished professor in the Bren School of Environmental Science & Management at University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB). In addition to teaching landscape ecology and environmental planning at Bren, Frank currently directs the La Kretz Research Center at UCSB’s Sedgwick Reserve. He is also executive director of the Long-Term Ecological Research (LTER) Network Office, which serves as a hub for 28 LTER sites funded by the National Science Foundation to investigate ecosystem processes over decadal time scales. He founded and for 26 years led the UCSB Biogeography Lab, where research focused on the ecology and conservation of California’s native species and ecosystems. He also served as deputy director and then director of the National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis (NCEAS), a UCSB-led research center located in downtown Santa Barbara.

Over the years, Frank has enjoyed collaborating with Santa Barbara Botanic Garden scientists and serving on the Garden’s Conservation Advisory Committee. His current research is concerned with fire management in California oak (Quercus) woodlands, the effects of climate change on California forests and rangelands, and satellite remote sensing of plant biodiversity.

Frank earned his doctorate in geography and environmental engineering from Johns Hopkins University and his bachelor’s degree in biology from Williams College. He is an Aldo Leopold Leadership Fellow, an American Association for the Advancement of Science Fellow, and an Ecological Society of America Fellow.