Areas of Expertise
Ecology; climate change; biodiversity; creation care and environmental stewardship; science and faith; science literacy, denialism and communication

Bio
Dr. Rick Lindroth is a Distinguished Fellow of The Lumen Center. Dr. Lindroth was formerly a Distinguished Achievement Professor of Ecology and Associate Dean for Research at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. His research focused on ecology (including global change) of forest ecosystems. His work spans from small individual projects to large multi-institutional, multi-national projects, with funding primarily from the National Science Foundation, the U.S. Dept. of Energy, and the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture. As Associate Dean for Research, he functioned as Chief Research Officer for a University of Wisconsin college with a ~$100 million/year research portfolio. He has been a Fulbright Fellow and is an elected Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), the Ecological Society of America, the Entomological Society of America, and the American Scientific Affiliation. Dr. Lindroth has authored/coauthored ~250 scientific journal articles and book chapters.

Currently, Dr. Lindroth speaks and writes to public and faith-based groups about environmental stewardship, climate change, biodiversity, and science denialism/communication. He has been interviewed for numerous podcasts and news outlets and profiled in The Washington Post.

External Appointments

• Vilas Distinguished Achievement Professor (Ecology), Emeritus, University of Wisconsin–Madison
• Board of Directors, A Rocha USA
• Voices Speaker’s Bureau, BioLogos

Experience

• Distinguished Fellow, The Lumen Center, 2023-present
• Professor, Department of Entomology; affiliate professor: Department of Integrative Biology, Department of Forest and Wildlife Ecology, Molecular and Environmental Toxicology Center, and Gaylord Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies. University of Wisconsin–Madison, 1988-2023
• Associate Dean for Research, College of Agricultural and Life Sciences, University of Wisconsin–Madison, 2010-2016
• National Science Foundation Postdoctoral Fellow, University of Wisconsin–Madison, 1985-1987

Selected Writing and Public Engagement

• Rutlen Lecture on Faith and Creation: Science, truth, and Christian faith in a time of eco-crisis. Luther Seminary, St. Paul, MN. Feb. 27.
• A liturgy of land and call to creation connection. BioLogos article, 2022.
• Our climate crisis: 2 degrees, 11 years, 17 words. BioLogos article, 2019.
• Entering the sixth extinction: evolution, diversity and the stewardship of life. BioLogos article, 2018.

Education

• Ph.D., Ecology, University of Illinois (Urbana-Champaign)
• B.S., Fisheries and Wildlife Biology, Iowa State University

Selected Honors/Awards

• Distinguished Faculty Postdoc Mentoring Award, UW–Madison, 2022
• Hilldale Award in Biological Sciences, UW–Madison, 2020
• Elected Fellow, American Scientific Affiliation, 2020
• Elected Fellow, Entomological Society of America, 2017
• Elected Fellow, Ecological Society of America, 2016
• Vilas Distinguished Achievement and Douglas D. Sorenson Professor, UW–Madison, 2016
• Kellett Mid-Career Faculty Research Award, UW–Madison, 2010
• Silverstein-Simeone Award in Chemical Ecology. International Society of Chemical Ecology, 2009
• Commencement address, School of Integrative Biology, Univ. of Illinois-Urbana, 2009
• Elected Fellow, American Association for the Advancement of Science, 2006
• Fulbright Senior Scholar Award, Council for International Exchange of Scholars, 1997
• H.I. Romnes Award, UW–Madison, 1996
• Glenn Pound Award for Excellence in Research, College of Agricultural and Life Sciences, UW–Madison, 1994

Link to CV