Robert Parmenter is Associate Professor of Research in the Department of Biology at the University of New Mexico, Albuquerque. He holds a Ph.D. in Biology/Ecology from Utah State University. He is Executive Director of the Sevilleta Long-Term Ecological Research Program and Director of the Sevilleta Field Research Station. Dr. Parmenter’s research interests include biological responses to ecosystem disturbances, patterns and controls of biodiversity, predator-prey interactions, and processes of ecosystem nutrient cycling. His current research projects concern the fire ecology of desert grasslands, long-term vegetation changes resulting from patterns of human land use, and ecological factors influencing human disease epidemiology. Dr. Parmenter has served as Preserve Scientist at the Valles Caldera National Preserve, Los Alamos, New Mexico. He was also a member of the NEON review team that visited the San Joaquin and Kerr/Shields candidate sites, a member of the NEON Fundamental Sentinel Unit tiger team, and a member of the Chief of Science Search Committee.