Leda Kobziar

Dr. Leda Kobziar earned her PhD in Ecosystem Science in 2006 at the University of California at Berkeley and joined the University of Florida's School of Forest Resources and Conservation (SFRC) that year. After nine years at the University of Florida as the Associate Professor of Wildland Fire Science, she joined the faculty of the University of Idaho’s College of Natural Resources and is currently Professor of Wildland Fire Science and Director of the Master of Natural Resources program. She draws from her experience working with fire managers and conducting prescribed burns across the US and Europe to promote advancing fire science through real-time observations and measurements on the fireline. Her research in plant community ecology, smoke and soil science, and fire ecology supports the maintenance and restoration of natural fire regimes for ecological and social benefits. She’s had the honor of mentoring over 100 graduate students and served as the first female President of the Association for Fire Ecology. She is an Associate Editor of the peer-reviewed journals Forests, and Fire Ecology, and served on the Board of Directors of the Association for Fire Ecology from 2008-2018. Most recently, she established “pyroaerobiology” as a new discipline focused on understanding the biological role of wildland fire smoke and its repercussions for human and ecosystem health.