About

David LeBauer, Ph.D.

Ecosystem modeler, open-science builder, and translator between field data and the models that use it.

Portrait of David LeBauer

I study how carbon, nitrogen, and water cycles respond to environmental change and management, and use that knowledge to support ecosystem management.

My background is in earth system science and biogeochemistry, and my experience includes lab and field research as well as data synthesis, statistical analysis, and ecosystem modeling. I develop open source software tools and open access databases to connect observations, experiments, and models.

Resume (PDF) Full CV (PDF)

Experience

  1. Owner and Principal Scientist

    The LeBauer Approach, LLC
    • Modeling Lead & Project Manager, California Cropland Measurement and Modeling Framework (CARB‑funded).
    • Scientific Advisor, Varaha Climate AG.
    • Provide consulting in ecosystem modeling, carbon markets, and data science for agriculture.

  2. Associate Data Scientist (0 % FTE)

    University of Arizona – Division of Agriculture, Life & Veterinary Sciences, and Cooperative Extension
    • Continue to advise and mentor the data‑science team I founded.
    • Offer strategic input on grants, training, and interdisciplinary collaboration across the Division.

  3. Staff Scientist & Technical Lead

    Indigo Ag
    • Led calibration, validation, and reporting under the Climate Action Reserve Soil Enrichment Protocol to generate verified carbon credits.
    • Wrote science requirements and automated workflows for model calibration, validation, and data harmonization.

  4. Director of Data Science

    University of Arizona – Division of Agriculture, Life & Veterinary Sciences, and Cooperative Extension
    • Founded and managed a 4‑6 person data‑science team supporting research across the Division.
    • Launched a data‑science incubator and secured > $2 M in extramural funding for modeling and informatics projects.
    • Delivered workshops and cross‑disciplinary training programs.

  5. Senior Scientific Advisor (part‑time)

    Agrible, Inc.
    • Designed yield‑data analyses to inform seed choice and optimize supply‑chain decisions.
    • Guided uncertainty quantification in crop‑model predictions and mentored engineering/science teams.

  6. Research Scientist

    University of Illinois at Urbana‑Champaign
    • Led data & computing pipeline (>$1.7 M DOE award) for TERRA‑REF, publishing the world’s largest public‑domain phenotyping dataset.
    • Scientific manager for the Energy Biosciences Institute’s ecosystem‑modeling research program.
    • Adjunct Faculty, Agricultural & Biological Engineering (2017‑2018).
    • Fellow, National Center for Supercomputing Applications.

  7. Postdoctoral Researcher

    University of Illinois at Urbana‑Champaign
    • Conceived and built PEcAn, an open‑source platform for Bayesian ecosystem model–data fusion.
    • Developed BETYdb, a relational database for ecophysiological data.

  8. Lab Manager

    North Carolina A&T State University
    • Managed the Mushroom Biology & Fungal Biotechnology laboratory.
    • Trained small farmers in mushroom production as a cash‑crop.

  9. Research Assistant

    Duke University
    • Conducted field and laboratory studies in biogeochemistry and community ecology.

Education

  1. PhD Earth System Science

    University of California, Irvine

  2. MS Ecology, Agriculture concentration

    University of California, Davis

  3. BSc Biology, with Distinction

    Duke University