Idaho State University

Education and Experience

Dr. Minshall is Professor of Ecology at Idaho State University. He received his B.S. in Fisheries Management from Montana State University and his Ph. D. in Zoology from the University of Louisville. He later served as a NATO Postdoctoral Fellow at the Freshwater Biological Association Laboratory in England. Dr. Minshall is an internationally recognized expert on the ecology of flowing waters. He has over 30 years experience in research and teaching. His research interests emphasize aquatic benthic invertebrates, community dynamics, and stream ecosystem structure and function. For the past 20 years he has been conducting research on the long-term effects of wildfires on stream ecosystems. He has authored over 110 peer-reviewed journal articles and 95 technical reports. He is co-editor of "Stream ecology: application and testing of general ecological theory" (with J. R. Barnes) and of "River and stream ecosystems" (with C. E. Cushing and K. W. Cummins) and also has co-authored several books on stream/riparian habitats. Thirty Masters and 16 Ph. D. students have completed their programs (and 9 others are working toward that goal) under his direction. He has received over 100 research grants and contracts from a variety of sources including: National Science Foundation, U. S. Forest Service, U. S. Soil Conservation Service, U. S. Environmental Protection Agency, U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service, U. S. Department of Energy, The Nature Conservancy, and the Smithsonian Institution. He has received several honors and awards, including the Distinguished Researcher Award from Idaho State University, the Outstanding Scientist of the Northwest Award from the Northwest Scientific Association, and the Award of Excellence from the North American Benthological Society. He has served as an advisor to the National Science Foundation (Environmental Biology, Long Term Ecological Research, NATO Postdoctoral Fellowships), National Research Council (Graduate Fellowships in Biology, Committee on Inland Aquatic Ecosystems), U. S. Environmental Protection Agency, and U. S. Forest Service.