Rate My Professor Ray Dybzinski

Ray Dybzinski, PhD, serves as Associate Professor in the School of Environmental Sustainability at Loyola University Chicago since 2022, having previously held the position of Assistant Professor there from 2015 to 2022. An applied plant biologist, he earned his PhD in Ecology from the University of Minnesota in 2007, advised by David Tilman, and BS in Physics and BA in Philosophy, both Magna cum Laude, from Northern Illinois University in 1998. Prior to Loyola, Dybzinski was Postdoctoral Researcher (2007-2011) and Associate Research Scholar (2011-2015) at Princeton University's High Meadows Environmental Institute, working with Stephen Pacala. He also taught as Adjunct Professor at Benedictine University (2014-2015) and DePaul University (2013), with earlier research assistantships at the University of Minnesota, University of Illinois at Chicago, and Northern Illinois University.

Dybzinski's research employs mathematical modeling, game theory, empirical experiments, and community-engaged approaches to investigate plant competition, nutrient uptake, biodiversity, soil health, sustainable agriculture, and vegetation responses to climate change. Key publications include 'How are nitrogen availability, fine-root mass, and nitrogen uptake related empirically? Implications for models and theory' (Global Change Biology, 2019), 'Increased forest carbon storage with increased atmospheric CO2 despite nitrogen limitation: A game-theoretic allocation model for trees in competition for nitrogen and light' (Global Change Biology, 2015), 'Rapid improvement in soil health following the conversion of abandoned farm fields to annual or perennial agroecosystems' (Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems, 2022), and contributions to 'Divergent responses of soil organic carbon to afforestation' (Nature Sustainability, 2020) and 'Modeling demographic-driven vegetation dynamics and ecosystem biogeochemical cycling' (Geoscientific Model Development, 2022). For teaching, he developed courses such as Principles of Ecology (ENVS280), Agroecosystems (ENVS326), and Sustainable Systems (ENVS401), authoring custom e-textbooks, and has been nominated for Faculty of the Year (2017), St. Ignatius of Loyola Excellence in Teaching Award (2021), and Langerbeck Faculty Mentor Award (2017, 2019) at Loyola, plus the Award for Outstanding Performance as a Teaching Assistant at the University of Minnesota (2003).