Senior Scientist Jed P. Sparks is an associate professor in the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at Cornell University, and director of the Cornell Stable Isotope Facility. He earned a B.S. in biology from the University of Utah and a Ph.D. in botany from Washington State University. His recognitions include a Howard Hughes Undergraduate Research Fellowship for biology (1992); acceptance into Who's Who Among American Colleges and Universities (1994); and an outstanding undergraduate achievement award for biology from the University of Utah (1994). He also received an Aase graduate fellowship from Washington State University (1994 and 1995); Noe Higinbotham Award for Graduate Research (1996); Biddulph Award for Botany (1997); Biosphere Atmosphere Research Training Fellowship, National Science Foundation (1998); National Science Foundation Early CAREER Award (2002); and an Atmospheric Chemistry Division Visiting Fellowship to the National Center for Atmospheric Research (2002).

Dr. Sparks’ research “centers on physiological factors governing relationships between plants and their environment with emphasis on the interaction between terrestrial ecosystems and the atmosphere.” He is a member of the Ecological Society of America; American Association for the Advancement of Science; and the American Geophysical Union. He also serves on the editorial boards of Plant Biology and Global Change Biology.