Dr. David Skelly

Biography

David K. Skelly is the Frank R. Oastler Professor at the Yale School of the Environment, where he also serves as the Director Curator of the Yale Peabody Museum. He has been operational in academic administration since 2009, including a five-year term as Associate Dean for Research at the School of Environment. In 2014, he directed the Yale Peabody Museum, raising over $200 million for its renovation and successfully repositioning it to serve both university and public audiences. His research focuses on the ecological and evolutionary responses of animals to environmental changes, drawing on long-term, large-scale datasets that he has used to monitor various populations for decades. His work aims to understand patterns of distribution and abundance, and he has uncovered evidence that animals, such as amphibians, are capable of rapid evolutionary responses to changes in their environments. Additionally, he explores systemic issues that lead to local extinctions among these populations, driven by a variety of threats. Skelly is committed to enhancing understanding of ecological and evolutionary mechanisms that affect biodiversity and leads courses that introduce students to scientific research through the Peabody Museum's collections.

Research Interests