Professor of Biology
Sabin Center Executive Director
office: Worrell 3107
email
Dr. Alan Townsend is the Executive Director of the Andrew Sabin Family Center for Environment and Sustainability at Wake Forest University, where he is also on the faculty of the Biology Department. Prior to joining Wake Forest, Alan served as the Dean of the Franke College of Forestry and Conservation at the University of Montana. His previous leadership positions include Dean of the Nicholas School of the Environment at Duke University, Provost of Colorado College, Director of CU-Boulder’s Environmental Studies Program and its Institute of Arctic and Alpine Research, Director of the Division of Environmental Biology at the National Science Foundation, and Co-Director of the Aldo Leopold Leadership Program. He is a highly cited author of more than 140 peer reviewed articles, and received his bachelor’s degree from Amherst College, and a Ph.D. in Biological Sciences from Stanford University. He is an Aldo Leopold Leadership Fellow, a Google Science Communication Fellow and was featured in the Let Science Speak documentary film series. A published author, Alan’s writing has appeared in multiple national venues, including The Washington Post and Scientific American. His memoir, This Ordinary Stardust: A Scientist’s Path from Grief to Wonder, has received wide critical acclaim.