06/16/2026
It is with great sadness that the UMSL Department of Biology and the Whitney R. Harris World Ecology Center share the passing of Dr. Robert E. "Bob" Ricklefs on June 7, 2026.
Bob served as Curators' Professor of Biology for more than two decades, building one of the most significant careers in modern ecology. He was a warm and thoughtful colleague and an inspiring mentor to graduate students and postdocs. A member of the National Academy of Sciences and recipient of the Ramon Margalef Prize in Ecology, he advanced our understanding of evolutionary ecology, island biogeography, and the forces that shape biodiversity across the globe. He literally wrote the textbook, which has further introduced the discipline to students worldwide.
His influence at UMSL extended well beyond his own research. After winning the Margalef Prize in 2015, he and his wife, Dr. Susanne Renner, established an endowment known as the Margalef Seminar in Ecology, which brings leading scientists to campus year after year to talk with biology students. He measured his success not in honors but in the people he trained, once quoted as saying his students were the greatest reward of his work.
Our community is better for his decades of contribution and advocacy. We extend our condolences to his family, his colleagues and collaborators, and the many scientists he mentored. His legacy endures in all of them.
A memorial is being planned to celebrate Bob; we will share details as they are finalized.
