Dr. Michael R. Zarfos is an Ecological Security Research Fellow in the Center for Climate and Security at the Council on Strategic Risks.

He maintains a postdoctoral affiliation with the Dovciak Lab at the State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry (SUNY ESF). His research has examined how human-induced environmental change (acid rain and nutrient pollution, introduced diseases, and climate change) may impact forest ecosystems (soil chemistry, biodiversity, and community structure). He has coauthored peer-reviewed journal articles in Plant and Soil and Ecosystems, presented at the Ecological Society of America Annual Meeting, and been featured in the US Geological Survey’s Northeast Region Science Highlights. Dr. Zarfos has directed remote ecological research and education programs including the Cranberry Lake Biological Station in the Adirondack Mountains and Outer Green Island seabird sanctuary in the Gulf of Maine. He has served on the boards of several environmental nonprofits, helping to raise ~$1 MM in grants and donations of cash and land.

Mike completed his PhD in conservation biology at SUNY ESF concurrent to an MA in international relations with a focus on security from the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs at Syracuse University. Michael is also an avid nature and landscape photographer.