Bill Hamilton to Deliver Lecture in Honor of His Appointment to the John T. Perry Jr. Professorship in Research Science Hamilton’s talk, titled “Twenty Years of Research in Yellowstone National Park: Lessons Learned from Bison and the People that Value Their Presence in North America,” will be held Oct. 22 in Science Addition 214.

By Brian Laubscher
October 13, 2025

Bill Hamilton, professor of biology at Washington and Lee University, will present a public lecture to mark his appointment to the John T. Perry Jr. Professorship in Research Science at Washington and Lee University.

Hamilton’s lecture, “Twenty Years of Research in Yellowstone National Park: Lessons Learned from Bison and the People that Value Their Presence in North America,” will be held at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 22, in Science Addition 214. The talk is free and open to the public and will be immediately followed by a reception in the Science Addition Great Hall.

Hamilton will provide an overview of the history and ecology of bison populations in North America, tracing their decline to near extinction during the colonial period and subsequent recovery efforts. He will highlight the work of the Bison Ecology and Management Team, which has involved hundreds of students collaborating with the National Park Service since the project’s full funding in 2015. The discussion will also highlight published findings and will conclude with a look at future opportunities for bison to expand their range and ecological role across the continent.

Hamilton has been conducting ecosystem research in Yellowstone National Park since 2005, extensively studying the effects that grazing herds, particularly bison, may have on the soils and grasslands. He recently reached a career milestone, publishing a paper in Science magazine, which shed new light on the value of the bison recovery efforts in Yellowstone. The article was met with international acclaim, leading to subsequent pieces in the New York Times and Smithsonian Magazine, among other respected publications.

“I hope to convey the important role of large herbivores in grasslands and the value of their presence for maintaining ecosystem function, not just in Yellowstone but across North America,” said Hamilton.

Hamilton has been a member of the W&L faculty since 2001. He earned a bachelor’s degree in biology from Syracuse University, a master’s degree in chemical ecology from State University of New York at Buffalo and a doctorate in ecology from Syracuse.

The John T. Perry Jr. Professorship in Research Science Endowment was established in 2011 and is a permanently endowed fund administered at the direction of the president and by the provost in consultation with the dean of the College. The fund supports the professorship and the teaching and research activities of the holder of the distinguished faculty appointment.