The Jack and Laura Dangermond Endowed Chair in Conservation Science was created to support a highly creative scholar conducting interdisciplinary conservation and ecological research leveraging geographic technology via a spatial perspective. The University is particularly interested in individuals advancing scholarship related to conservation that is rooted in a commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion.
The holder of the chair will bring an outstanding record of active scholarly engagement and teaching to new innovative research projects conducted, in part, at the Jack & Laura Dangermond Preserve in southwest Santa Barbara County. The chair holder will also be expected to contribute to advancing partnerships between UCSB and regional organizations including the Preserve.
The Preserve was established in 2017 by a gift from Jack and Laura Dangermond, founders of Esri, the world’s largest geographic information systems company. The 24,000-acre nature preserve is culturally and ecologically significant, and is managed by The Nature Conservancy, a close partner with UC Santa Barbara in conservation and research efforts. The Preserve’s unique location at Point Conception gives rise to rich marine and terrestrial habitats. Stretching from the coast to the Santa Ynez Mountains, it includes chaparral, grassland, oak woodlands, coastal scrub, and closed-cone pine along eight miles of wild coastline. These habitats support close to 700 plants and animal species, several dozen of which are rare or endangered. The waters off Point Conception are the site of a major marine reserve, where corals, elephant seals, gray whales, kelp forests, and sea otters thrive. In addition to the diverse ecological life, the Preserve is part of the rich cultural history and archeological record of the local Chumash tribe, who work in partnership with The Nature Conservancy to manage the evolution of the site.
Recognized as one of the country's top 10 public research universities and with world-class strengths in geographic information science and environmental science, UC Santa Barbara has a distinguished faculty that includes six Nobel Laureates as well as winners of the Breakthrough Prize, the Millennium Technology Prize, the Fields Medal, and the Pulitzer. With a mission of teaching, research and public service, UC Santa Barbara is helping to shape the next generation of national and international leaders in science, social science, the humanities and fine arts.
Further information about the Dangermond Preserve can be found here.
To apply for the Dangermond Chair in Conservation Science, visit our job posting on UC Recruit.