Meet BER ESS AAAS Fellow Aaron Grade

September 2021

DOE’s Office of Biological and Environmental Research (BER) is pleased to welcome Dr. Aaron Grade to the Environmental System Science team. Aaron is a 2021 American Association for the Advancement of Science – Science and Technology Policy Fellow (AAAS STPF) in the Earth and Environmental Systems Sciences Division of the Office of Biological and Environmental Research within the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Office of Science (SC).

AAAS Fellow Aaron Grade

Aaron comes to the office as a former Postdoctoral Research Fellow in the Clark University Department of Geography and George Perkins Marsh Institute. As a fellow, he will work closely with the Office of Biological and Environmental Research team and will learn how to leverage his scientific background and expertise to inform policy and program management for the public good. Aaron was awarded the National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship (NSF GRF) and received his PhD in Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, specializing in Environmental Conservation, from University of Massachusetts Amherst and a MS in Interdisciplinary Ecology with a concentration in Wildlife Ecology and Conservation from University of Florida. He received an undergraduate degree in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at University of Connecticut.

Aaron’s technical background is as an ecologist who specialized in conservation of biodiversity, including birds and mammals, in cities and across human-alerted landscapes. His interdisciplinary research focused on the interaction of human social systems, built infrastructure, and ecological systems, and on how to protect wildlife and sustain biodiversity in a changing environment.

Aaron is a passionate science communicator and educator who has initiated youth outreach programs at summer camps, after-school programs, museums, and schools to share his love of science and ecology. He was a co-founder and writer contributor of That’s Life Science blog, as well as an organizer for Life Science Café seminar series. Aaron is interested in promoting innovative and collaborative solutions to climate change and habitat loss in order to improve the quality of life for people who live in cities, suburbs, and rural areas. He is a member of the American Ornithological Society, Animal Behavior Society, Ecological Society of America, and the Society for Conservation Biology. His personal interests include hiking and outdoor recreation, cooking, travel, and writing.