Ginger Allington

Dr. Ginger Allington joined the Geography Department in January 2018. One of the main courses she will be teaching is Biogeography. Biogeography is an ideal course for any geography student who has ever wondered why early societies developed in certain places, what influences the spatial and temporal organization of biodiversity or how the influence of humans is reshaping these patterns. 

In addition to her research and academic positions, Dr. Allington also worked for a number of years doing stewardship and natural resource management work for The Nature Conservancy, the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation and the Missouri Botanical Garden. She lives in Prince George’s County, Md., with her husband, two sons and a Boston terrier.

Current Research

Dr. Allington explores why and how ecosystems change in response to changes in management and climate, and what this means for the future resilience of social-ecological systems. Her research focuses on drivers and consequences of degradation in arid rangelands, primarily in the southwestern United States and in northern China and Mongolia. Dr. Allington is also involved in research on global spatial-temporal patterns of biodiversity change, and advancing the way we model land cover change in arid lands. Most of her research involves a combination of fieldwork, data synthesis and modeling to find ways to integrate natural and social science data, using tools and methods from ecology, geography, remote sensing and more. 

Education

2012 PhD Saint Louis University

2001 BS Sarah Lawrence College

Classes Taught

GEOG 2128 - Biogeography