Richard Conant, PhD.

Professor and Department Head

Ecosystem Science and Sustainability

Research Scientist

Natural Resource Ecology Lab


Fields of Expertise

Ecosystem Dynamics

Areas of Interest

Feedbacks between human activities and ecosystem biogeochemistry, Land use and land management practices


Biography

Dr. Richard Conant is an ecosystem ecologist at the Natural Resource Ecology Laboratory and an associate professor in the newly-formed Department of Ecosystem Science and Sustainability at Colorado State University. He is also affiliated with the International Livestock Research Institute and Queensland University of Technology. His research focuses on understanding the feedbacks between human activities and ecosystem biogeochemistry. Specifically, he is interested in how land use and land management practices impact carbon and nitrogen cycling in agricultural and grassland ecosystems. Dr. Conant has worked closely with scientists from diverse disciplines to understand the characteristics of scientific information that best informs decision making, and has worked to integrate those conclusions into his own research. He is a participant in national and international efforts to quantify human impacts on carbon cycling. Dr.Conant earned his PhD at Arizona State University in 1997.