Mike Allen is Chair of the Center for Conservation Biology at the University of California, Riverside, as well as Chair and Professor of Plant Pathology. He holds a BA in Biology from Southwestern College, Kansas, and an MS and PhD in Botany from the University of Wyoming. His research is concentrated on understanding the effects of human activities on ecosystem biodiversity and functioning. Dr. Allen has focused on describing the impacts of such human activities as land disturbance, transportation, and agriculture on wildlands. He has also documented how natural succession proceeds, to learn lessons that can be applied to ecosystem restoration. Most recently, Dr. Allen has been working on developing ways to bring ecological science into the decision-making process.