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Louis Joseph Gross
Professor of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology and Mathematics
Alvin and Sally Beaman Distinguishd Professor
Director, The Institute for Environmental Modeling
James R. Cox Professor
Director, National Institute for Mathematical and Biological Synthesis
Alvin and Sally Beaman Distinguishd Professor
Director, The Institute for Environmental Modeling
James R. Cox Professor
Director, National Institute for Mathematical and Biological Synthesis
University of Tennessee, Knoxville
Summary
Louis J. Gross is a James R. Cox and Alvin and Sally Beaman Distinguished Professor of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology and Mathematics and Director of The Institute for Environmental Modeling at The University of Tennessee, Knoxville. He is also Director of the National Institute for Mathematical and Biological Synthesis, a National Science Foundation-funded center to foster research and education at the interface between math and biology. He completed a B.S. degree in Mathematics at Drexel University and a Ph.D. in Applied Mathematics at Cornell University, and has been a faculty member at UTK since 1979. His research focuses on applications of mathematics and computational methods in many areas of ecology, including disease ecology, landscape ecology, spatial control for natural resource management, photosynthetic dynamics, and the development of quantitative curricula for life science undergraduates. He has led the effort at UT to develop an across trophic level modeling framework to assess the biotic impacts of alternative water planning for the Everglades of Florida. He has co-directed several Courses and Workshops in Mathematical Ecology at the International Centre for Theoretical Physics in Trieste, Italy, served as Program Chair of the Ecological Society of America, as President of the Society for Mathematical Biology, President of the UTK Faculty Senate and as Chair of the National Research Council Committee on Education in Biocomplexity Research. He is the 2006 Distinguished Scientist awardee of the American Institute of Biological Sciences and is a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. He currently serves on the National Research Council Board on Life Sciences and is Treasurer and on the Board of Directors of AIBS. He is a long-time volunteer for Jubilee Community Arts and Community Shares, hosted and produced folk music programs for WUOT-FM, performs with the Lark in the Morn English Country Dancers and serves as House Sound Engineer for concerts at the Laurel Theatre in Knoxville.
| Current Institution | University of Tennessee, Knoxville |
| Current School | College of Arts and Sciences |
| Department | Departments of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology and Mathematics |
| Disciplines | |
| Current and Past Advisor(s) | Simon A. Levin, Cornell University, Brian Chabot, Cornell University |
| Address | 569 Dabney hall, 1416 Circle Dr, EEB Department, University of Tennessee Knoxville, TN Tennessee 37996-1610 United States Phone: 865-974-4295 |
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Education
Drexel University
BS in Mathematics
(Sep 1969 - Jun 1974)
Cornell University
Ph.D. in Applied Mathematics
(Sep 1974 - Aug 1979)
Work Experience
Professor of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology and Mathematics
University of Tennessee
(Aug 1997 - Present)
Director
The Institute for Environmemntal Modeling
(Sep 2001 - Present)
Director
National Institute for Mathematical and Biological Synthesis
(Sep 2008 - Present)
Achievements
General
After an introduction to scientific research through several years at the National Radio Astronomy Observatory, I moved on to study the dynamics of photosynthesis, experimentally and using mathematical models, while at Cornell. This led to a long-term set of collaborations on the impacts of light variability on plant growth. I have gone on to apply quantittaive modeling and computational methods to many ecological questions, including directing the development of the Across Trophic Level System Simulation (ATLSS) that was an essential component in evaluating the biotic impacts of alternative hydrologic planning for Everglades restoration. A central theme of my research has been spatial control - what to do, where to do it and how to assess success. In addition to Everglades applications, this approach has been applied to invasive species management, infectious disease control, and wildlife harvesting. I have long been an advocate for individual-based modeling methods as an appropriate tool to incorporate spatial and behavioral detail in ecological models.
I have devoted significant effort to educational efforts, having spent 20 years co-directing a long series of courses and workshops on mathematical biology at the International Centre for Theoretical Physics in Trieste, Italy, focused on enhancing the skills of developing country reserachers. Through many projects, i have encouraged the development of quantittaive education in the life sciences and I have served on a host of advisory boards in this area.
If anything, I have acted as an instigator and team cheerleader to encourage efforts of those trained in math and computer science to collaborate with biologists and encourage the development of a cadre of individuals who have mathematical and biological intuition. This led naturally to NIMBioS and many projects which demonstrate how an integrative view of natural systems is useful in a variety of biological contexts. I expect that a goodly portion of the advances in biology over the next decades will arise from an integrative view of systems from the sub-cellular level to that of organisms to that of regional-scale issues. Such integration requires careful modeling and applications of mathematics and computational science.
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