Valery E. Forbes is a leading biologist who served as Dean of the College of Biological Sciences at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities from 2015 to 2022, while holding a professorship in the Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior. A native New Yorker, she earned her Ph.D. in Coastal Oceanography and M.S. in Marine Environmental Science from the State University of New York at Stony Brook, complemented by B.A. degrees in Biology and Geology from the State University of New York at Binghamton. Her scholarly work centers on ecotoxicology and ecological risk assessment, providing foundational science for evaluating chemical risks to ecosystems and human health. This research spans quantitative ecology and environmental management, involving collaborations with experts in chemistry, mathematics, computer science, and social sciences. Forbes has published over 100 peer-reviewed articles and two books, and serves on editorial boards of several international journals including Human and Ecological Risk Assessment and Integrated Environmental Assessment and Management.

Prior to joining the University of Minnesota, Forbes directed the School of Biological Sciences at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln from 2011 to 2015, where she fostered interdisciplinary research and teaching frameworks addressing food, water, and energy challenges. She implemented a new core curriculum for life sciences, restructured graduate programs, and led strategic faculty hiring. Earlier, at Roskilde University in Denmark, she founded and chaired the Department of Environmental, Social, and Spatial Change, served as Dean of Natural Sciences, and was a member of the Danish Natural Sciences Research Council. Notable publications include 'Mechanistic Population Models for Ecological Risk Assessment and Decision Support: The Importance of Good Conceptual Model Diagrams' (2023, co-authored), 'Pop-GUIDE: Population modeling Guidance, Use, Interpretation, and Development for Ecological Risk Assessment' (2021, co-authored), and 'The need for standardization in ecological modeling for decision support: Lessons from ecological risk assessment' (2024). Among her honors are the 2018 Helmholtz International Fellowship and fellowship in the University of Minnesota Institute of the Environment. Forbes advises governments and industry on environmental risks, enhancing academic impact through leadership in interdisciplinary initiatives.

Professional Email: veforbes@umn.edu