Vanessa Ezenwa elected Ecological Society of America Fellow
Ezenwa, who was elected as a lifelong fellow, researches the ecology and evolution of infectious diseases in wild animals.
Vanessa Ezenwa, Professor of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, has been elected as a Fellow of the Ecological Society of America (ESA) in recognition of her contributions to the science of ecology.
Ezenwa is one of eight new fellows elected this year. The honor recognizes ecologists who have made “outstanding contributions to advancing or applying ecological knowledge” in academia, government, nonprofit organizations, and the private sector. Fellows of the ESA are elected for life.
Ezenwa’s research focuses on the ecology and evolution of infectious diseases in wild animals. She studies how interactions between hosts and pathogens occurring at the scale of individual organisms translate to broader ecological and epidemiological patterns. Her work integrates perspectives from animal behavior, ecology, evolution and immunology to make sense of complex infectious disease processes operating in natural populations. She was previously elected a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and has received a National Science Foundation CAREER Award and a Fulbright Scholar Award, among others.
“These Fellows and Early Career Fellows represent a remarkable group of scientists whose contributions are shaping the direction of ecological research and its application,” said ESA President Peter Groffman. “I am delighted to see their achievements recognized by their peers. Their work is expanding how we understand ecological systems while also informing decisions that affect ecosystems and communities. ESA is proud to count them among its members, and we look forward to the continued impact of their work.”
The 2026 group of Fellows will be recognized at an awards ceremony at the ESA’s Annual Meeting this July in Salt Lake City, Utah.
The Ecological Society of America, founded in 1915, is the world’s largest community of professional ecologists and a trusted source of ecological knowledge, committed to advancing the understanding of life on Earth.