David M. Post is a research scientist and academic administrator. He is currently a professor of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at Yale University and the Vice President (Academic Affairs).,[1] Dean of Faculty,[2] and Visiting Wong Ngit Liong Professor at Yale-NUS College, the first liberal arts college in Singapore.[3] Post is an aquatic ecologist who studies food webs, evolution, and stable isotopes in lakes and rivers in Connecticut and Kenya.[4]

David M. Post
Alma materUniversity of Wisconsin-Madison
(B.S. Wildlife Ecology)
University of Wisconsin-Madison
(M.S. Zoology)
Cornell University
(Ph.D Ecology and Evolutionary Biology)
Known forAquatic Ecology and Evolution, food webs, stable isotopes
Scientific career
InstitutionsYale University
Yale-NUS College
Websitehttps://postlab.yale.edu/

He obtained his B.S. in Wildlife Ecology in 1992 and his M.S. in zoology in 1996 from University of Wisconsin-Madison, and his Ph.D. in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology from Cornell University in 2000.

Academic career

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Post's academic career at Yale University began in 2002 as assistant professor at the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology. He was promoted to associate professor in 2008 and full Professor in 2014.[3] During his tenure at Yale University, he served as the Director of Graduate Studies for E&EB (2010–2013), Chair of the University Wide Committee on Sexual Misconduct (2014–2018), Chair of the Head of college review committee for Timothy Dwight College (2019–2020) and chair, Natural Science Subcommittee of the Off-Campus Research and Fieldwork Review Committee (COVID oversight) (2020–2021).[1]

He became Dean of Faculty at Yale-NUS College in 2021[5] and Vice President (Academic Affairs) in 2022. As part of the college's senior leadership team, Post oversees all academic programming within the college with a key focus on sustaining its curriculum, enabling faculty and student research, and encouraging student and faculty development. His priorities include maintaining excellence in teaching and research, supporting faculty, mentoring, and developing areas of distinction among the divisions and majors.[6]

Research

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Post's research tests long-standing questions about food web structure and dynamics, the influence of environmental change on community structure and ecosystem function, spatial linkages among ecosystems, and the importance of interactions between ecology and evolution for community and ecosystem processes.[3]

Post is known for his work on food-chain length[7][8] and development and application of stable isotopes methods.[9][10] His recent work has explored the implications of intraspecific variation and rapid evolution for ecological communities and ecosystems;[11][12][13][14] and the role of widlife in moving organic matter among ecosystems in the Maasai Mara, Kenya[15][16]

In 2014, The New York Times featured his study on alewives in Connecticut lakes where he is tracking the outcome of the species' restoration at Rogers Lake.[17] One of his notable research was the study in 2017 on how the annual mass drownings of Serengeti wildebeest can have positive impacts on the Mara River ecosystem.[18]

Awards and honours

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Post received the R.H. Whittaker Award for outstanding oral presentation and Cole Award for outstanding publication from the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Annual Symposium, Cornell University.[19]

He earned the 2002 Raymond L. Lindeman Award[20] from the Association for the Sciences of Limnology and Oceonography for his 2000 publication "Ecosystem size determines food-chain length in lakes"[7] and the 2003 IRPE Prize for publishing uniquely independent, original and/or challenging research representing an important scientific breakthrough at a young age (<40 years).[21][22]

Post was elected a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) in 2019[23][24] and a member of The Connecticut Academy of Science and Engineering in 2020.[25]

Notable publications

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Source:[26]

  • Post, D.M., M.L. Pace, and N.G. Hairston Jr. 2000. Ecosystem size determines food-chain length in lakes. Nature 405:1047–1049. doi: 10.1038/35016565[7]
  • Post, D.M., M.E. Conners, and D.S. Goldberg. 2000. Prey preference by a top predator and the stability of linked food chains. Ecology 81:8–14. doi: 10.1890/0012- 9658(2000)081[0008:PPBATP]2.0.CO;2[27]
  • Post, D.M. 2002. Using stable isotopes to estimate trophic position: models, methods, and assumptions. Ecology, 83:703-718. doi: 10.1890/0012-9658(2002)083[0703:USITET]2.0.CO;2[9]
  • Post, D.M. 2003. Individual variation in the timing of ontogenetic niche shifts in largemouth bass. Ecology 84:1298–1310. doi:10.1890/0012-9658(2003)084[1298:IVITTO]2.0.CO;2[28]
  • Post, D.M., D.A. Arrington, C.A. Layman, G. Takimoto, J. Quattrochi, and C. G. Montaña. 2007. Getting to the fat of the matter: models, methods and assumptions for dealing with lipids in stable isotope analyses. Oecologia 152:179–189. doi:10.1007/s00442-006-0630-x[10]
  • Post, D.M., E.P. Palkovacs, E.G. Schielke, and S.I. Dodson. 2008. Intraspecific phenotypic variation in a predator affects zooplankton community structure and cascading trophic interactions. Ecology 89:2019–2032. doi:10.1890/07-1216.1[11]
  • Post, D.M., and E.P. Palkovacs. 2009. Eco-evolutionary feedbacks in community and ecosystem ecology: interactions between the ecological theater and the evolutionary play. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B 364: 1629–1640.[12]
  • Sabo, J.L., J.C. Finlay, T. Kennedy, and D.M. Post. 2010. The role of discharge variation in scaling of drainage area and food chain length in rivers. Science 330:965–967. doi:10.1126/science.1196005[8]
  • Walsh, M.R., DeLong, J.P., Hanley, T.C., and D.M. Post. 2012. A cascade of evolutionary change alters consumer-resource dynamics and ecosystem function. Proc. R. Soc. B. 279:3184–3192 doi:10.1098/rspb.2012.0496[13]
  • Subalusky, A.L., C.L. Dutton, E.J. Rosi-Marshall, and D.M. Post. 2015. The Hippopotamus conveyor belt: vectors of carbon and nutrients from terrestrial grasslands to aquatic systems in sub-Saharan Africa. Freshwater Biology 60:512–525. doi:10.1111/fwb.12474[15]
  • Subalusky, A.L. C.L. Dutton, E.J. Rosi, and D.M. Post. 2017. Annual mass drownings of the Serengeti wildebeest migration influence nutrient cycling and storage in the Mara River. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 114:7647–7652. Doi:10.1073/pnas.1614778114[16]
  • Des Roches, S., D.M. Post, N.E. Turley, J.K. Bailey, A.P. Hendry, M.T. Kinnison, J.A. Schweitzer,E.P. Palkovacs. 2018. Ecological effects of intraspecific variation. Nature Ecology and Evolution 2:57–64. Doi:10.1038/s41559-017-0402-5[14]
  • Subalusky, A.L., and D.M. Post. 2019. Context dependency of animal resource subsidies. Biological Reviews 94:517–538. doi:10.1111/brv.[29]

References

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  1. ^ a b "David M. Post". Yale-NUS College. Retrieved 2023-05-17.
  2. ^ Soh, Genevieve (2021-03-25). "Introducing David Post, the New Dean of Faculty". The Octant. Retrieved 2023-05-17.
  3. ^ a b c "David Post | Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology". eeb.yale.edu. Retrieved 2023-05-17.
  4. ^ "Post Lab People | Post Lab: Aquatic Ecology and Evolution". postlab.yale.edu. Retrieved 2023-05-17.
  5. ^ Wong, Joshua (2021-08-10). "Up close and personal with Yale-NUS College's new Dean of Faculty Professor David Post". Yale-NUS College. Retrieved 2023-05-19.
  6. ^ "David M. Post". Yale-NUS College. Retrieved 2023-05-23.
  7. ^ a b c Post, David M.; Pace, Michael L.; Hairston, Nelson G. (2000-06-29). "Ecosystem size determines food-chain length in lakes". Nature. 405 (6790): 1047–1049. Bibcode:2000Natur.405.1047P. doi:10.1038/35016565. ISSN 0028-0836. PMID 10890443. S2CID 4338375.
  8. ^ a b Sabo, John L.; Finlay, Jacques C.; Kennedy, Theodore; Post, David M. (2010-11-12). "The Role of Discharge Variation in Scaling of Drainage Area and Food Chain Length in Rivers". Science. 330 (6006): 965–967. Bibcode:2010Sci...330..965S. doi:10.1126/science.1196005. ISSN 0036-8075. PMID 20947729. S2CID 37661848.
  9. ^ a b Post, David M. (2002-03-01). "Using Stable Isotopes to Estimate Trophic Position: Models, Methods, and Assumptions". Ecology. 83 (3): 703–718. doi:10.1890/0012-9658(2002)083[0703:USITET]2.0.CO;2. ISSN 0012-9658.
  10. ^ a b Post, David M.; Layman, Craig A.; Arrington, D. Albrey; Takimoto, Gaku; Quattrochi, John; Montaña, Carman G. (2007-01-16). "Getting to the fat of the matter: models, methods and assumptions for dealing with lipids in stable isotope analyses". Oecologia. 152 (1): 179–189. Bibcode:2007Oecol.152..179P. doi:10.1007/s00442-006-0630-x. ISSN 0029-8549. PMID 17225157. S2CID 8717542.
  11. ^ a b Post, David M.; Palkovacs, Eric P.; Schielke, Erika G.; Dodson, Stanley I. (2008-07-01). "Intraspecific Variation in a Predator Affects Community Structure and Cascading Trophic Interactions". Ecology. 89 (7): 2019–2032. doi:10.1890/07-1216.1. hdl:10161/6541. ISSN 0012-9658. PMID 18705387.
  12. ^ a b Post, David M.; Palkovacs, Eric P. (2009-06-12). "Eco-evolutionary feedbacks in community and ecosystem ecology: interactions between the ecological theatre and the evolutionary play". Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences. 364 (1523): 1629–1640. doi:10.1098/rstb.2009.0012. ISSN 0962-8436. PMC 2690506. PMID 19414476.
  13. ^ a b Walsh, Matthew R.; DeLong, John P.; Hanley, Torrance C.; Post, David M. (2012-08-22). "A cascade of evolutionary change alters consumer-resource dynamics and ecosystem function". Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences. 279 (1741): 3184–3192. doi:10.1098/rspb.2012.0496. ISSN 0962-8452. PMC 3385726. PMID 22628469.
  14. ^ a b Des Roches, Simone; Post, David M.; Turley, Nash E.; Bailey, Joseph K.; Hendry, Andrew P.; Kinnison, Michael T.; Schweitzer, Jennifer A.; Palkovacs, Eric P. (2017-12-04). "The ecological importance of intraspecific variation". Nature Ecology & Evolution. 2 (1): 57–64. doi:10.1038/s41559-017-0402-5. ISSN 2397-334X. PMID 29203921. S2CID 256704240.
  15. ^ a b Subalusky, Amanda L.; Dutton, Christopher L.; Rosi-Marshall, Emma J.; Post, David M. (2015-03-01). "The hippopotamus conveyor belt: vectors of carbon and nutrients from terrestrial grasslands to aquatic systems in sub-Saharan Africa". Freshwater Biology. 60 (3): 512–525. doi:10.1111/fwb.12474.
  16. ^ a b Subalusky, Amanda L.; Dutton, Christopher L.; Rosi, Emma J.; Post, David M. (2017-07-18). "Annual mass drownings of the Serengeti wildebeest migration influence nutrient cycling and storage in the Mara River". Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 114 (29): 7647–7652. Bibcode:2017PNAS..114.7647S. doi:10.1073/pnas.1614778114. ISSN 0027-8424. PMC 5530641. PMID 28630330.
  17. ^ Conniff, Richard (2014-04-20). "Opinion | An Evolutionary Family Drama". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2023-05-15.
  18. ^ Fears, Darryl (2021-10-28). "This river kills thousands of wildebeests — then gives life to everything else". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2023-05-19.
  19. ^ "Grad Student Awards | Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology". ecologyandevolution.cornell.edu. Retrieved 2023-05-23.
  20. ^ "Raymond L. Lindeman Award". ASLO. Retrieved 2023-06-15.
  21. ^ "ECI Prize Awarding | ECI Award Ceremony 2002/2003". Inter-Research Science Publisher. Retrieved 2023-05-22.
  22. ^ "IRPE Prize". Inter-Research Science Publisher. Retrieved 2023-05-22.
  23. ^ Cohen, Adam D (2019-11-26). "AAAS Announces Leading Scientists Elected as 2019 Fellows | American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)". American Association for the Advancement of Science. Retrieved 2023-05-22.
  24. ^ "2019 AAAS Fellows approved by the AAAS Council". Science. 366 (6469): 1086–1089. 2019-11-29. Bibcode:2019Sci...366.1086.. doi:10.1126/science.366.6469.1086. ISSN 0036-8075.
  25. ^ "David Post elected to The Connecticut Academy of Science and Engineering | Post Lab: Aquatic Ecology and Evolution". postlab.yale.edu. Retrieved 2023-06-15.
  26. ^ "David M. Post". scholar.google.com. Retrieved 2023-06-15.
  27. ^ Post, David M.; Conners, M. Elizabeth; Goldberg, Debra S. (2000-01-01). "Prey Preference by a Top Predator and the Stability of Linked Food Chains". Ecology. 81 (1): 8–14. doi:10.1890/0012-9658(2000)081[0008:ppbatp]2.0.co;2. ISSN 0012-9658.
  28. ^ Post, David M. (2003-05-01). "Individual Variation in the Timing of Ontogenetic Niche Shifts in Largemouth Bass". Ecology. 84 (5): 1298–1310. doi:10.1890/0012-9658(2003)084[1298:IVITTO]2.0.CO;2. ISSN 0012-9658.
  29. ^ Subalusky, Amanda L.; Post, David M. (2019). "Context dependency of animal resource subsidies". Biological Reviews. 94 (2): 517–538. doi:10.1111/brv.12465. ISSN 1464-7931. PMID 30246443. S2CID 52333754.