UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Erica Smithwick, distinguished professor of geography, has been named director of the Earth and Environmental Systems Institute at Penn State, effective Jan. 1.
Smithwick joined the Penn State faculty in 2007 and is excited for this new opportunity with the Earth and Environmental Systems Institute (EESI).
“I have been a faculty associate with ESSI since I first came to Penn State,” said Smithwick. “EESI has helped with my research, and I was excited for the opportunity to give back and to help keep that research mission going. The EESI family gave me a space at Penn State that allowed me to feel welcome, but also provided me with a research platform. Having the opportunity to serve the EESI family in this new capacity is really exciting.”
Smithwick is assuming the role from Susan Brantley, Barnes Professor of Geosciences and Evan Pugh University Professor of Geosciences, who stepped down in June 2021 after nearly two decades as director.
“Sue's legacy at EESI is incredible and she leaves big shoes to fill,” said Smithwick. “Not only was she steadfast in her commitment to providing research support to EESI faculty associates, but she was also very supportive personally of individuals within the institute, which helped to cultivate the EESI family. That balance of being a science leader in her own right and also being able to lift up others is an incredible inspiration.”
“I am very pleased to see Erica take this position and create more opportunities for environmental scientists and engineers on campus,” said Brantley. “With her track record, the next few years will be exciting.”
Alan Taylor, professor of geography and ecology, served as interim director from July 2021 to December 2022.
“Alan led with a steady hand and through the transition, and I am really grateful for what he's done for the institute,” said Smithwick. “I think I'm going to be in good hands as he hands me the baton.”
Smithwick was appointed as an associate director of the Institutes of Energy and Environment (IEE) in 2019 and served as the director of the Ecology Institute from 2017 to 2021, both of which foster interdisciplinary environmental research. She also is the founding director of the Center for Landscape Dynamics, which connects science to management.
“My main role at IEE is leading the climate consortium initiatives,” said Smithwick. “Another reason that I was excited about the EESI director position is that the College of Earth and Mineral Sciences is a leader in climate and sustainability research, and I felt that this was a good space for the college and EESI to lead in some of the ideas that I know are being discussed at the University level. I will remain as associate director at IEE with a partial appointment to help foster these collaborations.”
Smithwick also served as an Administrative Fellow for the 2021-22 academic year under Lora Weiss, Penn State senior vice president for research. Smithwick said she felt that it was a unique mentoring and leadership opportunity and gained valuable experience by shadowing an upper-level administrator on a day-to-day basis.
“My connections and partnerships across the University are really going to help me in this role,” said Smithwick. “These experiences will help me to make connections where we need to across the University. I'm excited to help our junior faculty, for example, be part of interdisciplinary teams across the University, but also within our college.”
Smithwick is on the Intercollege Graduate Degree Program in Ecology graduate faculty and is excited to help make the college’s research and the educational mission more connected. She is the lead principal investigator for Landscape-U, a $3 million grant funded by the National Science Foundation focused on transdisciplinary graduate training in regenerative landscape science.
She has an active research portfolio and her laboratory group, LEAPS: Landscape Ecology at Penn State, is actively involved in understanding how a wide range of disturbances, especially fire, affect ecosystem function at landscape scales. Current research is focused on the influence of these changes on socioecological resilience and sustainability, with special attention to protected area management in Africa and the United States.
Smithwick earned her bachelor of science degree in geology and environmental studies from Tufts University, her master’s degree in forestry and resource conservation from the University of Montana, and her doctorate in forest science and ecology from Oregon State University.