The Ecological Society of America (ESA) has named Kai Zhu, a doctoral student at Duke University’s Nicholas School of the Environment, the recipient of its prestigious 2012 Outstanding Research in Ecology by a Graduate Student Award on August 7 at the ESA annual meeting in Portland, OR. Press release below.
PhD Student Kai Zhu Receives ESA Award for Outstanding Research
DURHAM, NC – The Ecological Society of America (ESA) has named Kai Zhu, a doctoral student at Duke University’s Nicholas School of the Environment, the recipient of its prestigious 2012 Outstanding Research in Ecology by a Graduate Student Award.
Zhu, whose research focuses on forest biodiversity in a changing climate, received the award August 7 at the ESA annual meeting in Portland, Ore.
In selecting Zhu for the honor, the award jury cited his work to develop innovative new approaches to modeling forest biodiversity in response to climate change, and his lead authorship of the groundbreaking paper, “Failure to Migrate: Lack of Tree Range Expansion in Response to Climate Change,” which was published in the peer-reviewed journal Global Change Biology in October 2011.
That study, funded by the National Science Foundation, found that more than half of eastern U.S. tree species aren’t adapting to climate change as quickly or consistently as predicted. Many models have predicted that trees will migrate rapidly to higher latitudes and elevations in response to warming temperatures, but Zhu and his colleagues’ large-scale analysis found no evidence that a consistent, climate-driven northward migration is occurring.
Earlier this year, Zhu also was named winner of the Nicholas School’s 2012 Dean’s Award for the Outstanding PhD Student Manuscript for the study.
James S. Clark, H.L. Blomquist Professor of Environment and professor of biology and statistics, is Zhu’s faculty advisor.
Zhu received his Master of Science degree in 2009, and his Bachelor of Science degree in 2006, both from Beijing Normal University.
