Earth & Space
Eric Palkovacs appointed new director of Institute of Marine Sciences
The professor of ecology and evolutionary biology is also UC Santa Cruz’s associate vice chancellor for research and director of the Fisheries Collaborative Program
Professor Eric Palkovacs studies evolutionary and ecological processes in freshwater and coastal ecosystems. (Photo by Carolyn Lagatutta)
Eric Palkovacs, professor of ecology and evolutionary biology, has been named the new director of the Institute of Marine Sciences (IMS) at the University of California, Santa Cruz. His five-year appointment began July 1.
As a researcher, Palkovacs explores connections between evolutionary and ecological processes in freshwater and coastal ecosystems, with the goal of informing biodiversity conservation and sustainable fisheries management. He currently also serves as UC Santa Cruz’s associate vice chancellor for research, and as director of the Fisheries Collaborative Program.
“We anticipate that Eric’s enthusiasm, broad experience, and vision will take marine sciences at UC Santa Cruz to new heights and frontiers,” said Science Division Dean Bryan Gaensler in an announcement on Monday. He thanked the committee that oversaw the search process, and the entire IMS and Coastal Campus community for their deep engagement and feedback.
Gaensler also thanked Distinguished Ocean Sciences Professor Christina Ravelo for serving as interim IMS director for the past year. She will now serve as UC Santa Cruz’s vice provost of academic affairs.
Palkovacs received his Ph.D. from Yale and held positions at the University of Maine and at Duke, before joining the faculty at UC Santa Cruz in 2012. “Coastal and marine science have always been core strengths of UC Santa Cruz,” he said. “I am excited to work with the IMS community to build on this enduring legacy and plot a course into the future. Perhaps more than ever before, the world needs what IMS does.”