Title: Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Ecology and Evolution
Institution: Rutgers University
Address: 703 Carlene Drive, Bridgewater, New Jersey 08807
Email: steven.handel@rutgers.edu
Phone: (908) 881-0383
Research Interests: Restoration ecology; urban ecology
Biographical Sketch:
Steven Handel studies the potential to restore native plant communities, adding sustainable ecological services, biodiversity, and amenities to the landscape. He has explored problems of coastal, urban, and heavily degraded lands. Working with both biologists and landscape designers, he is improving our understanding of restoration protocols and applying these concepts to public environmental projects.
He is a Distinguished Professor of Ecology and Evolution Emeritus at Rutgers University and was Visiting Professor of Landscape Architecture at the Harvard University Graduate School of Design during 2016-2019. Previously, he was a biology professor and director of the Marsh Botanic Garden at Yale University. He also was awarded an appointment as Adjunct Professor of Ecology at the University of California, Irvine and was Visiting Professor of Ecology at Stockholm University, Sweden, in 2009.
Dr. Handel is a Fellow and Certified Senior Ecologist of the Ecological Society of America and is the Editor of the professional journal Ecological Restoration. He is also a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), the Australian Institute of Biology, and of The Explorers Club. In 2000, he was awarded the Board of Directors Service Award by the Society for Ecological Restoration (SER). In 2007, he was elected an Honorary Member of the American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA) for “national or international significant achievements… to the profession.” ASLA then awarded him The LaGasse Medal (2023) for “notable contributions to the management and conservancy of natural resources and public landscapes.” He received the SER’s highest international research honor, the Theodore M. Sperry Award in 2011 “…for pioneering work in the restoration of urban areas.” He has led national workshops for the U.S. EPA to train environmental specialists in ecology. In professional service, he was President of the Torrey Botanical Society, Associate Editor of Evolution, and Chair of the Plant Population Section of the Ecological Society of America. Also, he served on the State of New Jersey Invasive Species Council, recommending new public policies to halt habitat degradation.
He has been a lead member of landscape design teams doing ecological restoration in urban parks and other public landscapes, including the Freshkills, St. Marys, Astoria, and Brooklyn Bridge parks in NYC, the Duke Farms Foundation 2,700 acre holdings and the Great Falls and Morristown National Historical Parks in NJ, the landscape for the Beijing 2008 Olympic Summer Games, the 1,450 acre Orange County Great Park in California, The Riverline in Buffalo, NY, and the forestlands of the Fernbank Museum of Natural History in Atlanta. Recognition for this work includes 2008 and 2009 ASLA National Awards of Honor for Analysis & Planning, 2009 and 2015 ASLA National Honor Awards for Research, 2009 American Institute of Architects (AIA) National Honor Award in Regional & Urban Design, and the 2009 American Planning Association National Planning Excellence Award for Innovation in Regional Planning, the 2015 ASLA National Honor Award for Communication, and the NJASLA 2019 Merit Award in Research for protecting coastal habitats from sea level rise. The NSF, EPA, National Park Service, and private foundations have supported his research. Handel has been an invited lecturer at over 250 universities and meetings, teaching his concepts for improving urban landscapes.
Education:
B.A. in Biological Sciences from Columbia College, granted 1969.
M.S. in Ecology and Evolution from Cornell University, granted 1974.
Ph.D. in Ecology and Evolution from Cornell University, granted 1976.
Professional Certifications:
Certified Senior Ecologist, Ecological Society of America
Ongoing and Recent CESU Projects:
- Restoration of Jamaica Bay fringing habitats: post-Sandy status and new approaches for a resilient future - Hurricane Sandy Project
- Conduct Vegetation Inventory of Forest Gaps at Morristown National Historic Park
- Assessment of Vegetation Condition in Long-term Deer Exclosures
- Resurvey vegetation plots in large exclosure to provide findings concerning deer herbivory and invasive plant spread