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Dr. Stephen Teale
ESF Appoints Dr. Stephen Teale Environmental Biology Chair
SYRACUSE, NY – The SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry (ESF), one of the nation’s premier colleges focused exclusively on the study of the environment, developing renewable technologies, and building a sustainable future, is pleased to announce Dr. Stephen Teale has been appointed chair of the Department of Environmental Biology.
“Dr. Teale brings a wealth of experience to the department and has hit the ground running as he leads the faculty and students in their academic and research pursuits,” said Dr. Samuel Mukasa, Provost and Executive Vice President.
Teale has been a member of the Department of Environmental Biology faculty for 31 years; he was hired as Assistant Professor in 1991 and promoted to Professor in 2012. During his departmental tenure, he served as chair of the Promotion & Tenure Committee, director of the Cranberry Lake Biological Station (CLBS), curriculum coordinator for the Forest Health major, and interim department chair. While the director of CLBS from 2000 to 2005, he restructured the academic program and built enrollments to record levels.
He established an international (China, Galapagos) research record in the fields of entomology, chemical ecology and forest health; authored and co-authored 60-plus peer-reviewed journal articles, technical reports, and edited book chapters; holds two patents; and mentored 26 graduate students to their degrees.
He established an exchange program with Moscow State University, Russia, in which each summer, a group of ESF students traveled to the White Sea Biological Station on the Arctic Circle for field courses and a group of Russian students came to CLBS for their practical field experience.
Teale is renowned for his collaborative spirit developing the forest health major, and establishment of quantitative departmental guidelines for promotion and tenure.
Dr. Teale served as interim chair since June 2022, succeeding Dr. Melissa Fierke, who served as department chair from 2019 to 2022.
About SUNY ESF
The SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry (ESF) is dedicated to the study of the environment, developing renewable technologies, and building a sustainable and resilient future through design, policy, and management of the environment and natural resources. Members of the College community share a passion for protecting the health of the planet and a deep commitment to the rigorous application of science to improve the way humans interact with the world. The College offers academic programs ranging from the associate of applied science to the Doctor of Philosophy. ESF students live, study and do research on the main campus in Syracuse, N.Y., and on 25,000 acres of field stations in a variety of ecosystems across the state.