Tilman receives Spanish ecology prize

July 28, 2014
Award recognizes EEB researcher’s enduring influence and leadership in the field of ecology.

David Tilman, Regents Professor and McKnight Presidential Chair in Ecology, has been awarded the Premi Ramon Margalef Award for Ecology by the Spanish state of Catalonia. The award was created in honor of ecologist Dr. Ramon Margalef. The selection committee noted Tilman’s leadership and the many new ideas he has introduced, saying: “his research has opened up new ways of study which have been followed by many ecologists who are his intellectual children.”

The Maralef Award, which comes with a prize of 80,000 euros, recognizes people from around the world who have distinguished themselves by their dedication in the field of ecological science. “I was totally surprised,” says Tilman. “I’m deeply honored and pleased to join the esteemed company of past recipients of the Margalef Award.” Past recipients include: Paul Dayton, John Lawton, Harold Mooney, Daniel Pauly, Paul Ehrlich, Simon Levin, Juan Carlos Castilla, Daniel Simberloff and Sallie Chisholm.

Tilman, whose discoveries relating to the role of biodiversity in the function of ecosystems have shaped the field of ecology, also received the Heineken Prize for Environmental Science in 2010.

– Stephanie Xenos