NOTABLE ACHIEVEMENTS

Five Year Achievement Award

David G. Kimmel
Department of Biology
Thomas Harriot College of Arts and Sciences,
The Institute for Coastal Science and Policy

If there’s anything David Kimmel likes more than uncovering new concepts through research, it’s sharing them with students and colleagues.

Kimmel’s passion is paying off. The associate professor in the Thomas Harriot College of Arts and Sciences’ Department of Biology and ECU’s Institute for Coastal Science and Policy is being recognized with a 2013-14 University Research/Creative Activity Award in the Five-Year Achievement category. His research explores how human-driven environmental changes impact estuarine, coastal and marine populations.

David Kimmel

“North Carolina is a good ‘ground zero’ for global environmental change impacts on a coastal region,” Kimmel said. “I foresee my research continuing to investigate the changing food-web dynamics in coastal North Carolina as the environment continues to change.

Kimmel’s research has focused primarily on zooplankton but has expanded to include the climate’s effect on oyster populations in Chesapeake Bay, to assist in oyster restoration. Kimmel also studies jellyfish populations in the Neuse River and how humans and jellyfish interact.

“The coastal areas of North Carolina are a network of complex habitats that are under threat from climate change and are also home to a growing human population,” he said.

Kimmel wants to continue research in zooplankton ecology, climate dynamics and quantitative ecology that will help change the world. He hopes to help people understand how everyday life affects fragile ecosystems, which in turn can affect all life globally.

Colleagues believe he already is doing that. “David Kimmel is a gifted young researcher who has charted himself a path for an exemplary career,” wrote Dr. Jeffrey McKinnon, chair of the Department of Biology, in his award nomination letter for Kimmel. “He is notable for the diversity and consistency of his contributions, from writing influential papers through bringing in an exceptional array of grants and mentoring students to their own successes.”

Since joining ECU’s faculty in 2008, he has published 20 peer-reviewed journal papers and book chapters, and has authored 18 contributed papers and posters at national and international conferences. He has secured nine research awards from funding agencies including the National Science Foundation (NSF), NOAA Coastal Ocean program, North Carolina Sea Grant and PCS Phosphate Corporation. Kimmel has secured four awards from the NSF Biological Oceanography program since 2008.

Kimmel is celebrated for his strengths beyond research and publishing. He is a popular seminar speaker and an exemplary grant writer, McKimmon said. His professional service and attentive mentorship contribute to his success as well.

“I’m fortunate to have found a career where a large aspect of my duties consists of talking at length to students and colleagues about subjects I enjoy,” said Kimmel.

He teaches biological oceanography and has taught ecology to undergraduate students, as well as a study abroad program to Australia in International Sustainability Australia: Humans and the Environment. He heads up graduate courses in Coastal Ecological Processes and has mentored two Ph.D. students and a master’s student who have gone on to secure degrees.

“I especially enjoy mentoring young scientists,” Kimmel said, “and helping them through the formative years of their careers.”

Coming from a previous post in a research laboratory, Kimmel is thriving in his environment at ECU. From mentoring to speaking engagements to earning grants and interacting with fellow faculty, he is turning heads in his field. He sees it as an opportunity to challenge himself and learn from those around him.

“At ECU, I interact with colleagues from diverse backgrounds,” he said, “and this has led me down new paths and forced me to broaden my perspective with regards to teaching and research.”

Kimmel earned his Ph.D. in marine-estuarine-environmental science in 2001 from the University of Maryland, Baltimore County.

— Spaine Stephens