We are pleased to announce that Associate Professor Stephanie Pau has been appointed the next Russell L. Rustici Chair in Rangeland Management, effective July 2026.
Established to support the research, teaching, and outreach activities of a faculty member advancing the study of rangeland management, the endowed chair promotes the productive use of rangelands and the viability and sustainability of the domestic livestock industry within the College of Natural Resources. The chair honors Russell L. Rustici, a Berkeley alumnus, Lake County rancher, and passionate advocate for the ecology and management of rangelands.
Pau's research examines how plant communities and ecosystem functions respond to environmental change. Her work has been at the forefront of applying remote sensing technologies to better measure, monitor, and understand ecosystem dynamics across landscapes and through time. With her students, she is currenting working at Point Reyes National Seashore and Gabilan Ranch, California, investigating how interactions between livestock grazing and climatic fluctuations influence plant community composition and productivity. This work contributes to a deeper understanding of how rangelands can be managed sustainably in the face of environmental change.
Pau's appointment reflects the collaborative support she has received from colleagues and partners in the Department of Geography, the College of Natural Resources and ESPM, and partners at Gabilan Ranch.