Gary A. Lamberti
Gary A. Lamberti, professor in the Department of Biological Sciences, has been named the Gillen Acting Director of the University of Notre Dame Environmental Research Center (UNDERC). Lamberti will oversee the center’s two facilities: UNDERC-East, located between Wisconsin and the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, and UNDERC-West, located in western Montana on the Flathead Indian Reservation. Lamberti will be supported by Stuart E. Jones, associate professor in the Department of Biological sciences, in the role of associate director of research at UNDERC.
“I am excited by the opportunity to lead this outstanding environmental research center while we search for a new, permanent director,” said Lamberti. “The UNDERC facilities offer world-class education and scholarship opportunities, and I look forward to working with Notre Dame Research and Professor Jones to grow teaching and research activities at the center over the next year.”
Lamberti’s research aims to better understand the structure and function of freshwater ecosystems on a changing planet. His lab studies wide-ranging and important questions in aquatic ecology, with a primary focus on stream and wetland ecosystems and the human impacts on those systems. His laboratory’s research examines the interactions of native and introduced species of fish, the ecology and control of invasive species, the restoration of freshwater habitats, and the cycling of environmental contaminants.
“Lamberti is a recognized expert in stream and wetland ecology and his research expertise will benefit the center in a number of ways,” said Robert J. Bernhard, vice president for research and professor in the Department of Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering. “Further, he is a veteran university administrator and he is an excellent teacher in the classroom as well as in the field. We are grateful to Professor Lamberti for his willingness to take on this role.”
As director, Lamberti will also lead UNDERC’s educational programming, which offers 10-week summer field courses to undergraduate students at UNDERC-East and UNDERC-West. As part of the experience, participants each complete an independent research project under the direction of a faculty or graduate student mentor.
Since 2001, UNDERC and its educational programs have been led by Gary E. Belovsky, professor in the Department of Biological Sciences and now retired director of UNDERC.
Gary E. Belovsky
“The University is deeply indebted to Professor Belovsky for the leadership and hard work he has provided UNDERC over the last 18 years. The undergraduate educational programs for field ecology have consistently been some of the finest in the country. In addition, he has made significant contributions to Notre Dame’s strong research reputation in ecology and the environment. We thank him for his many years of service to the UNDERC program,” said Bernhard.
The University is currently accepting applications for the Gillen Director of UNDERC. This position will oversee research and teaching at both UNDERC-East and UNDERC-West as well as promote and facilitate scientific use of the facilities by faculty at Notre Dame and other institutions. The search committee began consideration of applications on Oct. 15, but the position will remain open until it is filled.
To learn more about the position, visit https://apply.interfolio.com/68249.
UNDERC provides world-class destinations for environmental research, unsurpassed undergraduate education programs and innovative graduate student training. UNDERC locations are unique, pristine areas with exceptional facilities that permit descriptive studies and manipulative experiments. To learn more about UNDERC facilities and research, visit underc.nd.edu.
Contact: Brandi Wampler, communications specialist, Notre Dame Research, brandiwampler@nd.edu, 574-631-8183; @UNDResearch
Originally published by at research.nd.edu on Oct. 17.