Interview with the 2014 Tansley Medal winner William Anderegg
Last updated: 20 Jan, 2015
We conducted a short interview with the winner of the 2014 New Phytologist Tansley Medal for excellence in plant science, Dr William R. L. Anderegg (Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA). Listen now to find out a bit more about the person behind the outstanding scientist (via the player below or on SoundCloud where you can also download an mp3 of the interview).
In the interview Bill discusses his research and how it contributes to our understanding of the effects of climate change. He goes on to tell us how the spark for his research was seeing that the forests he had gone camping and hiking in as child were now dead or dying. His advice for early career researchers is to “start writing early and often – you’re never going to have the perfect paper or the perfect dataset!” When he’s not out in the field, Bill enjoys hiking, writing short stories and composing music. Listen to the interview to also learn Bill’s favourite thing about his job and how the legacy of Arthur Tansley inspired him to apply for the Tansley Medal.
One of Bill’s field research sites. Bill’s research focuses on climate extremes and plants, in particular how plants die from stress.
Bill enjoys hiking in his free time; here he is at the Grand Canyon, USA
The Tansley Medal is a prestigious award which recognises scientists in the early stages of their careers, who have made an outstanding contribution to research in plant science. Applicants are initially asked to submit a CV and statement and if shortlisted are asked to write a minireview which is sent for external peer review and subject to the normal high standards required by New Phytologist. William was one of seven early-career applicants who were shortlisted for the second round of the competition. William’s excellent winning Minireview is titled ‘Spatial and temporal variation in plant hydraulic traits and their relevance for climate change impacts on vegetation’. William will receive a £2000 prize in association with the Tansley Medal award.
See also:
The New Phytologist Tansley Medal 2014 (Editorial by Sarah Lennon, Managing Editor, New Phytologist and Liam Dolan, Section and Tansley review Editor, New Phytologist)
The 2014 Tansley Medal winner is Dr William Anderegg
New Phytologist Editors’ Choice February 2015: The New Phytologist Tansley Medal 2014
William’s winning paper: Spatial and temporal variation in plant hydraulic traits and their relevance for climate change impacts on vegetation
Originally posted 20 January 2015