blog

We’d like to congratulate Prof. Simon Levin, F1000Prime Section Head in Theoretical Ecology, on being awarded the 2014 Tyler Prize for Environmental Achievement. The award recognizes his research into the complexity of species and ecosystems, and the relationships between them.

The Tyler Prize is an international environmental award for environmental science, environmental health and energy, set up in 1973. Since then, it has been awarded annually to sixty-seven individuals and four organizations associated with world-class environmental accomplishment

Levin says that we can learn many things about addressing the global world from natural systems, the prime example being the balance between exploration and exploitation. His research gives insights into evolution and the origins of biodiversity, leading to improved management of natural resources such as forests and fisheries. This work has been fundamental in putting together environmental policies, and his research on theoretical ecology has helped provide a big picture for understanding our environment by putting environmental research into context.

You can watch Simon Levin’s 2014 Tyler Prize Laureate Lecture here.

In a video for F1000Prime in 2012, Simon Levin described how he applies mathematics to problems in ecology, with an emphasis on how individual decisions influence the structure of social and economic systems.

Congrats, Simon!