I'm a PhD student in the University Program in Ecology at the Nicholas School of the Environment. My research could be concisely described as quantifying effects of environmental change through traits. 

To do this, I draw from the methods and theory of both trait-based functional ecology and biogeography. I use a combination of broad-scale observation, small-scale experiments, careful measurement, and a dash of modeling to make mechanistically based predictions about how we might expect environmental change (e.g. climate warming, nutrient pollution, etc.) to impact species form, functions, and interactions.

My goals are twofold: to advance ecology towards generality through mechanistics, and to ultimately provide mechanistics-based prescriptions for the conservation and restoration of imperiled ecosystems.

I have a M.S. in Biology, obtained in 2018 from The College of William & Mary as well as a B.S. in Ecology, obtained in 2016 from SUNY Plattsburgh State University. Before entering academia, I served in the US Army for 8 years. I am from Upstate New York, near the beautiful Adirondack Mountains.

​I am always open to collaboration ideas, especially cross-discipline, and I've always got work to be done or samples to be processed. Please feel free to contact me if you're interested in collaborative research or if you're a student looking for work experience: david.s.delamater [at] duke.edu  OR  dsdelamater [at] gmail.com.