Stephen K. Hamilton

Professor Emeritus of Ecosystem Ecology & Biogeochemistry

Ph.D. University of California, Santa Barbara 1994

Email: hamilton@msu.edu

Lab website

As of 2024, I have retired from MSU as well as the Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies in New York, though I will remain academically active.

Research interests

My principal research interests involve ecosystem ecology and biogeochemistry, with particular attention to aquatic environments and the movement of water through landscapes. I am especially interested in running waters, wetlands and floodplains because they represent an interface between aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems that is often biologically diverse and productive. I also like to consider ecosystem processes at the landscape or watershed scale, and I prefer to do research that contributes to our understanding of environmental problems or improves our ability to manage ecosystems. In recent years I have increasingly conducted research on agricultural ecology and the sustainability of crop production for food and biofuel.

I believe that to understand how ecosystems work, we frequently need to integrate approaches from varied disciplines such as geology, chemistry, remote sensing, and hydrology as well as ecology. Therefore I encourage multidisciplinary investigations that seek to improve our understanding of ecosystems and environmental problems. Stable isotopes are one of my favorite tools for ecological investigations.

I am presently devoting much of my time to agricultural ecology and the study of various aspects of aquatic ecosystems in southern Michigan, including wetlands, streams, lakes, and watersheds. I also work on tropical ecosystems in South America and dryland river ecosystems in Australia.

My lab website (see link above) has detailed descriptions of research programs as well as publications.