Jim Ehleringer is a Distinguished Professor in the School of Biological Sciences at the University of Utah, where he directs the Stable Isotope Ratio Facility for Environmental Research and maintains a research program in the environmental sciences. He served as founding director of Utah’s Global Change and Sustainability Center (2009-2015).

His research has spanned from ecophysiological and ecological studies of natural and urban systems through atmospheric trace gas studies and forensic science. Throughout his academic career, Jim has also focused on creating the facilities and organizational structures to advance interdisciplinary science and provide new opportunities for others. Jim's recent research projects have melded stable isotope analyses with process studies to investigate carbon and water cycles, climate changes, air quality in urban zones, humans and our diets and foods, and biomarkers in climate studies.

Jim has been recognized for his research. He is a member of the U.S. National Academy of Sciences, a winner of The Rosenblatt Prize for Excellence, and a recipient of the Utah Governor's Medal for Science and Technology. Jim is an elected Fellow of the American Geophysical Union, of the Ecological Society of America, and of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. 

 Jim has a passion for teaching at both the undergraduate and graduate levels. He and his colleague Thure Cerling created IsoCamp, which has successfully trained 900+ graduate students and was recognized with The Outstanding Education Program in Earth and Space Award by the American Geophysical Union. That course is now widely available on YOUTUBE. His course Plant Ecology in a Changing World received the Students Choice Award for Teaching and all class videos are posted on YOUTUBE for broader dissemination. Jim also teaches freshman the core biology class on Evolution and Diversity of Life.

​​Curriculum vitae

Jim and Edna moved to Utah in 1977, establishing careers and raising a family. Edna retired from a distinguished 40-year career as a teacher and administrator in the Jordan, Granite, and Salt Lake City School Districts. Together they garden, hike, travel, and most of all, spend time with grandchildren in Idaho and Oregon.