Download GDPE Nomination for

GDPE Nomination for Peter and Rosemary Grant
Faculty Host: Cameron Ghalambor
Nominee: Peter Grant and Rosemary Grant
Nominees Institution: Princeton University
Nominee Email: [email protected]
Nominee Web Page URL:
http://www.princeton.edu/eeb/people/display_person.xml?netid=prgrant
Primary Research Interests: Ecology, Evolution, Speciation, Natural Selection
Narrative for why nominee is distinguished:
From Wikipedia:
Peter Raymond Grant and Barbara Rosemary Grant, a married couple, are both
British evolutionary biologists at Princeton University; each holds the position of Emeritus
Professor. They are noted for their work concerning Darwin's finches on the Galápagos Island
named Daphne Major. The Grants have spent six months of the year each year since 1973
capturing, tagging, and taking blood samples of the finches on the island.
The Grants were the subject of the book The Beak of the Finch: A Story of Evolution in Our Time
by Jonathan Weiner (Alfred A. Knopf, 1994), ISBN 0-679-40003-6, which won the Pulitzer
Prize for General Non-Fiction in 1995.
In 2003 the Grants were joint recipients of the Loye and Alden Miller Research Award.
They won the 2005 Balzan Prize for Population Biology. The Balzan Prize citation states:
"Peter and Rosemary Grant are distinguished for their remarkable long-term studies
demonstrating evolution in action in Galápagos finches. They have demonstrated how very rapid
changes in body and beak size in response to changes in the food supply are driven by natural
selection. They have also elucidated the mechanisms by which new species arise and how
genetic diversity is maintained in natural populations. The work of the Grants has had a seminal
influence in the fields of population biology, evolution and ecology."
Peter was made a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1987 and Rosemary in 2007. In 2008 both Peter
and Rosemary Grant were among the thirteen recipients of the Darwin-Wallace Medal, which is
bestowed every 50 years by the Linnean Society of London. In 2009 they were recipients of the
annual Kyoto Prize in basic sciences, an international award honoring significant contributions to
the scientific, cultural and spiritual betterment of mankind.
Personal Knowledge:
I have seen both Peter and Rosemary give numerous presentations, all of which were engaging
and stimulating. They remain active in research and are on top of the latest literature. I recently
spent a long plane ride with Peter and Rosemary and found them both charming and full of
advice for young scientist.
Rationale:
Peter and Rosemary understand ecology and evolution both from a strong theoretical base, but
also from having spent more time in the field conducting research than the average age of a
graduate student in GDPE.
Co-Sponsoring Faculty from Other Departments:
BSPM: John McKay, Boris Kondratieff, Ruth Hufbauer
Fish, Wildlife, and Conservation Biology: Kevin Crooks, Paul Doherty,
Biology: Chris Funk, Lisa Angeloni, Rachel Mueller, Colleen Webb
I am willing to serve as the primary host.
Potential Supporting Funds: I believe that Peter and Rosemary Grant are of the caliber that
would require additional funds as an honorarium. I would advocate for contacting Rick Miranda,
Diana Wall, and even Tony Frank to seek out additional funds.