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Dr. John Farrell

We are very pleased to announce that at the May 11th, 2017 College-wide Recognition/Awards and Celebration event Dr. John Farrell, Professor in the Department of Environmental and Forest Biology, was named the College’s 12th Exemplary Researcher for 2017-18!

This College-level award recognizes successful, currently active researchers with exemplary research activity, publication record and a graduate/undergraduate student mentorship program. The nomination process allows for nominations from three categories: Lifetime Career Achievement, Mid-Career - for which Dr. Farrell was nominated, and Early Career Achievement.

Dr. Farrell received his Ph.D (1998) and MS (1991) from SUNY-ESF, and joined the Department of Environmental and Forest Biology in 2000. He has developed a significant research program at the Thousand Islands Biological Station (TIBS), while doing everything a director of such a program needs to do to make it productive, much less viable, in the short and long term.

He has received significant funding from agencies such as NSF, the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, NYS Department of Environmental Conservation, the Great Lakes Research Consortium and Cornell University. His substantial, continuous funding pays for technicians, many graduate students and the equipment, supplies and boats needed to run a very large research program. His research is typically collaborative. He was a Co-PI on a $1.2+ million grant from NSF to rehab the lab at TIBS and
install cyber infrastructure that would connect that facility with the CIRTAS in Illick Hall.

Dr. Farrell’s publication record is built on his collaboration with colleagues and graduate students. He knows how to put together the most effective team to address important research questions. In 2014 alone he was co-author on nine peer reviewed journal publications.

At the graduate level, he has consistently had a robust program of supported students. He is generous with him time advising students, whether he is major professor, committee member or not formally involved.

Dr. Farrell received the following praise from his nominator: “He is consistently a team player, always positive, incredibly patient, and a gentleman – a truly good role model for all faculty, but especially the newer ones. He is not only an exemplary researcher, but more importantly, an exemplary faculty member.”

Dr. Farrell will receive a $5,000 research account that can roll over for three years, as well as two plaques – one for the recipient and one for permanent display in Bray Hall. He will also present a campus-wide research seminar highlighting his work as the first seminar in the Adaptive Peaks Series during the 2017-18 academic year. At that time he will be presented with his plaque recognizing this achievement, as well as a reception in his honor.

Congratulations to Dr. John Farrell on this well-deserved honor!!