Myla F.J. Aronson
Myla Aronson, M.S., Ph.D. Myla is an urban ecologist whose interests focus on the conservation, restoration, and maintenance of biodiversity in human dominated landscapes. She received her B.S. in Natural Resources from Cornell University and a M.S. and Ph.D. in Ecology and Evolution from Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey. She is currently an Assistant Professor in the Department of Ecology, Evolution and Natural Resources at Rutgers University and the Director of the Hutcheson Memorial Forest. She co-directs, with Charles Nilon at the University of Missouri-Columbia, UrBioNet: A Global Network for Urban Biodiversity Research and Practice (https://sites.rutgers.edu/urbionet/). Dr. Aronson’s research focuses on the patterns and ecological, environmental, and social drivers of biodiversity in urban landscapes, in particular to understand community assembly and biotic homogenization in cities at local, regional, and global scales. She also focuses on dynamics of species invasions and the ecological function of restored communities. Finally, she studies management and planning for biodiversity in cities. Dr. Aronson has used the results from her research to direct decisions regarding the restoration and management of degraded habitats and city planning. She is serves on the scientific advisory committees for NYC Nature Goals 2050, Silicon Valley Urban Greening Panel, Stewardship Mapping and Assessment Project (STEW-MAP) in New York City, and Fire Island National Seashore. In addition to her applied restoration work, she has taught at the undergraduate and graduate levels at Rutgers University, Luther College, and Hofstra University.