Eric Slessarev

Eric Slessarev's picture
Scientific Leadership Team
Ecological and Biological Capture
Natural carbon capture in managed ecosystems; interactions between soil and Earth’s climate

Eric Slessarev is an Assistant Professor in the Yale Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology. He studies soil and its role in terrestrial ecosystems. His research is guided by two major objectives: (1) understanding how soil properties develop in different ecological contexts, and how they are expressed at the global scale; and (2) understanding how the soil environment governs belowground ecology and influences carbon and nutrient cycling. Eric applies these research perspectives to evaluate soil-based climate change mitigation strategies in managed ecosystems.

Eric holds dual BS and BA degrees in Earth Systems and History from Stanford University, where he graduated in 2011. He completed a PhD in the department of Ecology, Evolution, and Marine Biology at University of California, Santa Barbara in 2018. Eric then worked as a Postdoctoral Researcher and Staff Scientist in the Environmental isotope Systems Group at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory from 2019-2023.

Where are you from: 
Marin County, California
Hobbies: 
Hand forging cutlery, collecting interesting plants, and cultivating vernal pool animals