Nalini Nadkarni author page

Nalini Nadkarni biography

Nalini Nadkarni is an American ecologist, writer, and public speaker recognised for her pioneering research on rainforest canopies and her outreach connecting science with art and society. She earned a Bachelor of Science in biology from Brown University and a PhD in forest ecology from the University of Washington.

Nadkarni’s scientific work focuses on the ecology of tropical and temperate forest canopies, including how epiphytes capture nutrients and how canopy ecosystems contribute to forest health. She has conducted extensive fieldwork in Costa Rica and the Pacific Northwest of the United States.

She served as a professor at The Evergreen State College and later joined the University of Utah as a professor of biology, where she founded initiatives that link science with public audiences, including artists, faith communities, and incarcerated populations.

Nadkarni has written several nonfiction books for general readers, including Between Earth and Sky: Our Intimate Connections to Trees (University of California Press, 2008; ISBN 9780520254672) and Treepedia: A Brief Compendium of Arboreal Lore (Princeton University Press, 2023; ISBN 9780691242816).

Nalini Nadkarni received the AAAS Award for Public Engagement with Science in 2011.