Experts & Staff

David Tomberlin serves as half-time Deputy to the Vice President for Science and Research. He contributes to the planning and implementation of WRI’s research by mentoring research staff, reviewing project proposals, and developing opportunities to enhance WRI’s in-house analytical expertise. He also manages peer review processes for WRI publications.

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A natural resource economist by training, David’s research has focused on the management of fish, forests, and watersheds. His experience includes thirteen years at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) working on issues such as endangered species monitoring programs, harvest policies for fisheries, prioritization of watershed restoration activities, and environmental management under uncertainty. Previously, he analyzed international trade in forest products as a consultant to the UN Food and Agriculture Organization’s Forestry Department. He has been a visiting researcher at the Center for International Forestry Research, the Fondazione Eni Enrico Mattei, the University of Reading, and the Technical University of Crete, where he was a Fulbright Scholar in 2010. David currently serves as adjunct faculty at the University of Maryland Eastern Shore and the University of Maryland University College. In the late 1980s, he spent two years teaching English language and literature in Indonesia.

David received a Ph.D. in forest ecology and management from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, an M.Sc. in agricultural and resource economics from North Carolina State University, and a B.A. in creative writing from Princeton University.