New Leadership Brings Fresh Perspectives to the Quinney College of Natural Resources

The S.J. and Jessie E. Quinney College of Natural Resources is introducing new leadership this fall.

Christopher Keyes joins the college as department head of wildland resources, Edd Hammill is interim department head of watershed sciences, and Juan Villalba is the new associate dean for research and graduate programs.

“We’re extremely fortunate to have such an impressive roster of expertise and professional insight with these changes,” said Linda Nagel, dean of the college. “Each person is bringing a unique set of skills and valuable perspectives to the roles they are stepping into.”

Keyes’ professional background lies in silviculture research with expertise in forest stand dynamics and a focus on the development and testing of silvicultural strategies to restore forest health, complexity, and resilience.

“I’m drawn to Utah State’s long-standing reputation for promoting the sound, science-informed stewardship of western wildlands. It’s a privilege to be part of that mission,” said Keyes. “I’m looking forward to building upon the department’s legacy of excellence in that realm.”

He was most recently director of the School of Agricultural Sciences & Forestry at Louisiana Tech University and was previously associate director of the Montana Forest & Conservation Experiment Station at the University of Montana. He is credentialed as a certified forester by the Society of American Foresters. His degrees are from Oregon State University, the University of Montana and Holy Cross.

Keyes is taking the helm in Wildland Resources previously held by Karen Mock, who led the department for four years and served in the college for more than two and a half decades. Mock is returning to a faculty position and phasing into retirement.

Hammill has led the Spatial Community Ecology lab in Watershed Sciences since 2015. His work focuses on incorporating uncertainty into spatial environmental planning, and his projects are centered on investigating the processes that enhance stability at the population and community level.

Hammill was a lecturer at the School of the Environment at the University of Technology in Sydney, Australia. Prior to that, he was at Possingham's Environmental Decisions Group and at the University of Queensland. He received degrees from the University of St. Andrews in Scotland and the University of Sheffield in Yorkshire, England.

“I’m grateful to have this opportunity to serve my colleagues in the department,” Hammill said. “The work they are doing has significant influence on environmental understanding and sustainability in the region and far beyond. I’m lucky to be able to support that.”

As new interim department head, Hammill is filling a role in Watershed Sciences recently occupied by Patrick Belmont.

Juan Villalba enters the role of associate dean for research and graduate programs.

“This college is one of the strongest to offer unique research opportunities to both graduate and undergraduate students,” he said. “From high-desert rangelands to rainforests, our skilled faculty are involved in a variety of innovative projects that traverse biological, physical, and socioeconomic boundaries. Such diversity of topics creates rich ground for research opportunities.”

Villalba’s research focuses on understanding mechanisms influencing food selection and intake in herbivores in order to create more efficient alternatives for managing animals and the landscapes they inhabit. He is interested in exploring the ability of herbivores to self-select natural plant products and other protective substances to recuperate from illness. He currently leads the transdisciplinary project Smart Foodscapes, aimed at enhancing rangeland sustainability through landscape interventions that foster chemical and biological diversity.