David Fox

David Fox is a Professor in the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities, within the College of Science and Engineering. He earned his PhD from the University of Michigan in 1999 and joined the university faculty in 2002. As a vertebrate paleoecologist and paleobiologist, Fox investigates the links between environmental changes—such as shifts in climate and habitats—throughout Earth history and alterations in the species composition and ecological structure of biological communities. His research tests the relative influences of biotic interactions (Red Queen hypothesis) and abiotic environmental forcing (Court Jester hypothesis) on the vertebrate fossil record. Primary case studies focus on mammal communities amid the origin and evolution of grassland ecosystems in the Great Plains of North America over the last 25 million years. Fox also collaborates on fossil sites in eastern Africa dating from 20 to 15 million years ago. His methodologies include stable isotope ecology for reconstructing paleoenvironments, paleoprecipitation proxies via magnetic minerals in paleosols, and analyses of biodiversity patterns related to topography and climate gradients.

Fox has co-authored highly influential publications, including 'The Origins of C4 Grasslands: Integrating Evolutionary and Ecosystem Science' in Science (2010), 'Tertiary history of C4 biomass in the Great Plains, USA' in Geology (2003), 'Biodiversity and topographic complexity: modern and geohistorical perspectives' in Trends in Ecology & Evolution (2017), and a study on attenuated mammalian evolution through the Cenozoic in Science. In recognition of nearly 25 years of educational contributions, he received the 2025 George W. Taylor/CSE Alumni Society Award for Distinguished Teaching. Fox developed and taught courses such as ESCI 1007 From Microbes to Mammoths, ESCI 2202 Earth History, ESCI 4102W Vertebrate Paleontology, ESCI 4103W Fossil Record & Evolution of Mammals, and field courses including ESCI 3890 Field Methods and ESCI 3911 Field Geology. He served as Director of Undergraduate Studies for seven years, Director of Graduate Studies for five years, and ten years on the Council of Liberal Education, co-writing the 'Race, Power, and Justice in the United States' theme. A Bell Museum Associate, Fox has mentored or co-mentored more than 40 graduate and undergraduate students.

Professional Email: dlfox@umn.edu