Daniel Griffith is a biogeographer and plant ecologist, with a background in evolutionary biology, community ecology, and plant-herbivore interactions in savannas. Because of this background, he enjoys pursuing spatial and environmental research questions that link interacting processes across spatial grains and those that include an evolutionary perspective. His research has a primary focus on the role of biogeographic and evolutionary history on ecosystem function. For example, his work has explored evolutionary trade-offs in Serengeti grasses and has shown that grass distributions at a continental extent can be modified by local ecosystem ecology. Key extensions of these basic research endeavors include conservation of at-risk ecosystems, the improvement of Earth System Models to better forecast climate change, and mentoring/teaching.

Dr. Griffith received his B.A. from Vassar College, his Ph.D. from Wake Forest University, and has held academic positions at Oregon State University as well as the U.S. Geological Survey and NASA.