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Dr. Dennis Ojima, Ph.D.
Colorado State University
Natural Resource Ecology Laborator
B229 Natural Environmental Lab
Fort Collins, CO 80523-1499
Phone: (970) 491-1976
Email: dennis@nrel.colostate.edu
Website: http://www.nrel.colostate.edu/PEOPLE/dennis.html

Dr. Ojima is a senior research scientist at the Natural Resource Ecology Laboratory (NREL) and an Assistant Professor in the Rangeland Ecosystem Science Dept., at Colorado State University. Dr. Ojima received his BA and Masters degree in Botany from Pomona College (1975) and the University of Florida (1978), and his PhD from the Rangeland Ecosystem Science Department at Colorado State University in 1987. In 1999, he was selected as an Ecological Society of Americas Aldo Leopold Leadership Fellow. He has served on a number of international and national committees dealing with ecosystem science, and was contributing author to several chapters of the 1995 Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. He has edited books, authored reports and over 100 papers on diverse topics related to ecosystem science.

Dr. Ojimas research activities address ecological issues related to global and regional land use and climate changes on ecosystem dynamics; studies of the interaction between terrestrial ecosystems and the atmosphere; the impact of changes in land management on trace gas exchange; and the development of a global ecosystem model. Specifically his research is aimed at developing a better understanding of factors affecting ecological integrity and sustainable resource use. His research is funded by NASA, NSF, DOE, USGS, and other national and international organizations. An example of his current project includes the NSF on Integrated Research Challenges grant for the development of a national scale terrestrial carbon model which integrates aspects of plant physiology, community ecology, biogeochemisty, and atmospheric sciences. Dr. Ojima also extends his research to the far reaches of Mongolia and China. The research in the Mongolian steppe focuses on the intricate linkage between the Mongolian people and their environmental system related to changes in recent social, economic, and political conditions affecting grazing systems in the Mongolian region.

Dr. Ojima was a Programme Officer with the International Geosphere-Biosphere Programme (IGBP) from 1988 to 1990. His involvement in global change research continues through projects associate with the Land Use/Cover Change (LUCC), Trace Gas Network (TRAGnet) and the Land Use in Temperate East Asia (LUTEA) projects.

Though his initial research in ecology was based on field work, most of his current research includes the use of an ecosystem model, CENTURY, as a research tool. He has used the Century model to study climate impacts on grassland systems throughout the world; evaluated changes in soil organic matter resulting from land use and climate change; evaluated land use changes on greenhouse forcing; and assesses national level ecosystem changes to regional climate scenarios.

Dr. Ojima teaches graduate and undergraduate courses in ecosystem modeling, land use change, and provides lectures in a number of departments, including the Anthropology, Atmospheric and Natural Resource departments. He directs numerous graduate students from the USA and other countries. He has also served on a number of University strategic planning committees.