Elliott Campbell, associate professor of environmental studies, will receive a 2017 Global Environmental Change Early Career Award from the American Geophysical Union during its December meeting in New Orleans.
The award, one of four being presented, recognizes interdisciplinary scientists for "outstanding contributions in research, educational, or societal impacts in the area of global environmental change." It includes a $1,000 prize.
Campbell, who joined the faculty in July and holds the Gliessman Presidential Chair in Water Resources and Food Sustainability, is an environmental engineer whose research focuses on climate change. He uses global models to search for sustainable solutions for food, energy, and water management.
Campbell was nominated by his former colleague Roger Bales of UC Merced. Bales, a professor of engineering, cited Campbell's "creative research in multiple areas of global environmental change." Campbell's research greatly improved the reliability of greenhouse-effect modeling. He also made "brilliant contributions" to strategies used to assess the sustainability of policies and products, specifically around biomass electricity and ethanol production, according to Bales.
Campbell's work has become widely cited by scientists and policy makers, as well as journalists, because they "focus on potential solutions," wrote Bales. "His findings go well beyond solid contributions. They represent fresh insight from someone who digs deeper to link brilliant research with public policy."
Social Sciences Dean Katharyne Mitchell congratulated Campbell on the recognition. "Elliott has been doing excellent work on a critical topic, and I am delighted he joined UC Santa Cruz this year," said Mitchell. "This well-deserved award is a harbinger of what's to come."
Campbell has previously received a CAREER award from the National Science Foundation. He earned his Ph.D. from the University of Iowa and completed a postdoctoral fellowship at the Carnegie Institution for Science.
