Rate My Professor Alan Wilson

Alan E. Wilson is Professor and Assistant Director for Instruction, Outreach, and Extension in Auburn University's School of Fisheries, Aquaculture, and Aquatic Sciences. He earned a Ph.D. in Applied Biology from the Georgia Institute of Technology in 2006, with a dissertation on cyanobacteria-grazer interactions focusing on toxicity, morphology, and genetic diversity; an M.S. in Fisheries and Wildlife, specializing in Ecology, Evolutionary Biology, and Behavior, from Michigan State University in 2001, with a thesis on complex interactions between zebra mussels and planktonic prey; a B.A. in Biology, graduated with Distinction, from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1997; and an A.S. in Biology, graduated with Highest Honors, from Young Harris College in 1995. Wilson's academic career includes a postdoctoral research investigator position at the University of Michigan's Cooperative Institute for Limnology and Ecosystems Research from 2006 to 2007, followed by his appointment at Auburn University as Assistant Professor in the Department of Fisheries and Allied Aquacultures from 2007 to 2013, Associate Professor from 2013 to 2019, and Professor and Graduate Program Officer from 2019 onward. He served as Program Director for the National Science Foundation's Population and Community Ecology program from 2014 to 2016 and currently holds the role of Panel Manager for Small Business Innovation Research Topic Area 8.7 Aquaculture at the United States Department of Agriculture National Institute of Food and Agriculture from 2022 to 2024.

Wilson's research examines the ecology of freshwater lakes, ponds, and reservoirs, with emphasis on abiotic and biotic mechanisms mediating harmful algal blooms, cyanobacterial toxicity, eutrophication, zooplankton-phytoplankton dynamics, and water quality management in aquaculture, recreational, and drinking water systems. Notable publications include 'Repeated low-dose copper algaecide treatments promote beneficial phytoplankton and zooplankton communities' (Journal of Environmental Management, 2025), 'Forest aboveground biomass estimation using airborne LiDAR: A systematic review and meta-analysis' (Journal of Forestry, 2025), 'Diuron has no effect on the toxigenic cyanobacterium, Microcystis, relative to two other common algaecides: a field mesocosm experiment' (Aquaculture Reports, in press), and 'Influence of trace metal additions on the longevity of algal blooms across a productivity gradient' (Journal of Phycology, 2025). He has received the Auburn University Gerald and Emily Leischuck Endowed Presidential Award for Excellence in Teaching (2020), USDA Food and Agriculture Sciences Excellence in Teaching Award for the southeastern US region (2018), Auburn University Provost’s Award for Excellence in Fostering Undergraduate Research and Creative Scholarship (2014), Fellowship in the Association for the Sciences of Limnology and Oceanography (2017), and multiple College of Agriculture awards for grantsmanship, publications, and commitment to diversity. Wilson has mentored over 70 undergraduate researchers and teaches courses including Limnology, Meta-analysis, and Responsible Conduct of Research.