I am very pleased to announce the appointment, after an internal search, of Professor Tim Higham as the new Director of the UCR Natural Reserves System.  Professor Higham will succeed Professor Kimberly Hammond, who is stepping down from this position.  Professor Higham joined the Department of Evolution, Ecology and Organismal Biology in 2011. Over the past 15 years, Professor Higham has conducted interdisciplinary research on the relationships between the environment and animal function, using a diverse array of measurements of both habitats and animal motion.  His studies have included fish, lizards, snakes, small mamals and birds.  Professor Higham has maintained a very strong field component to his research, with field sites in Namibia, South Africa, the West Indies, British Columbia, Baja California, and the Mojave Desert.

Professor Higham will commence his appointment on April 1, 2026.  The College is sincerely grateful to Professor Hammond for providing overlap with Tim during the next three months and for her phenomenal and inspiring leadership of the UCR NRS over many years.  Her contributions to the NRS will be the subject of a future email from me.

Please join with me in welcoming Professor Higham to this important leadership position in CNAS and within the entire UC Natural Reserve System.

Sincerely,
Peter

Peter W. Atkinson, Ph.D.
Dean - College of Natural & Agricultural Sciences