Julie Etterson

Background & Expertise

Julie R. Etterson, PhD, is a Distinguished McKnight University Professor at the Swenson College of Science and Engineering and the director of the Duluth hub of the Institute on the Environment. Etterson earned a BA in international studies, a BS in biology, and a PhD in ecology from the University of Minnesota Twin Cities. She has been at the University of Minnesota Duluth since 2002, where she is an ecological and evolutionary geneticist focused on the intersection of climate change and habitat restoration. Her research includes the first comprehensive test of whether the rate of adaptive evolution in wild plant populations can keep pace with climate change. This work, published in Science and other journals, is widely cited and featured in undergraduate ecology and evolution textbooks. To improve the scientific study of evolutionary change in plant populations through time, Etterson and colleagues launched the seed bank “Project Baseline.” This resource provides ancestral seed for resurrection studies and enables historic and contemporary plant populations to be grown side-by-side to directly measure evolutionary response. Regionally, Etterson works to develop and apply climate-adaptation strategies for forests, including ensuring the production of climate-adapted tree seedlings needed for future reforestation. In 2018, she became the founding director of the Duluth hub of the Institute on the Environment, using relationship-building and catalytic leadership to connect colleagues across the university and strengthen collaboration around shared sustainability goals.