Loren Buck

C. Loren Buck is a new professor of environmental health sciences in the Mel & Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health’s Department of Community, Environment & Policy.  Loren received a BS in Biology and a BS in Education from Montana State University Billings (formally Eastern Montana College) in 1992, and a Ph.D. in Biology at the University of Alaska Fairbanks in 1996. He taught and conducted research at the University of South Dakota (1999-2001), the University of Alaska Fairbanks (2001-2006), the University of Alaska Anchorage (2006-1015), and Northern Arizona University (2015-2026) before moving to the University of Arizona in May, 2026.  

Loren has taught and/or conducted research globally and maintains professional affiliations in Brazil (University of São Paulo, Butantan Institute, National institute of Amazonian Research), Argentina (Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas), and Namibia (Gobabeb Namib Research Institute), among others. Loren’s research falls under the auspices of Conservation Physiology and One Health, investigating the biological response of humans and wildlife to environmental change. He uses tools that span genomes to phenomes to populations to predict biological resilience, promote biodiversity, and identify vulnerabilities of wildlife, humans and ecosystems to anthropogenic environmental change. Loren has ongoing research projects in Alaska, Arizona, Brazil, Chile, Mexico, and Namibia and has received significant external research support from both National (e.g., National Institutes of Health, National Science Foundation, Department of Defense etc.) and international (e.g., São Paulo Research Foundation, Brazilian National Council for Scientific and Technological Development, Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas etc.) sources.  

Loren has mentored students, post-docs, and junior faculty in research throughout his career. His laboratory is typically comprised of a diverse set of trainees, many of whom are international. Loren has also received awards for this mentorship; most recently he received the 2026 NAU Award for Undergraduate Research Mentorship. Loren is committed to advancing science in the Global South and has led or participated in many initiatives to provide early career researchers with the resources and professional connections to address existing and emergent regional and global threats. In addition, he has received two Fulbright Scholar awards to promote and maintain research in the Global South and was recipient of the 2025 NAU Award for Faculty Excellence in Global Learning. Loren aspires to advance health outcomes of humans and wildlife through innovative and interdisciplinary research while fostering cross-cultural and scientific exchange.