{"681618":{"#nid":"681618","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Joel Kostka Named Director of Georgia Tech for Georgia\u2019s Tomorrow","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003EThe College of Sciences has named Professor\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/biosciences.gatech.edu\/people\/joel-kostka\u0022\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EJoel Kostka\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E the inaugural faculty director of\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/cos.gatech.edu\/news\/new-center-science-georgias-tomorrow\u0022\u003EGeorgia Tech for Georgia\u0027s Tomorrow\u003C\/a\u003E. The new center, announced by the College in December 2024, will drive research aimed at improving life\u0026nbsp;across the state of Georgia.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003E\u201cJoel is perfectly suited to lead this new initiative, especially since his research for a number of years has focused on Georgia and the vulnerability of both humans and ecosystems to climate change,\u201d says\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/cos.gatech.edu\/dean-susan-lozier\u0022\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ESusan Lozier\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E, dean of the College of Sciences, Betsy Middleton and John Clark Sutherland Chair, and professor in the\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/eas.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003ESchool of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences\u003C\/a\u003E. \u201cI look forward to seeing how Science for Georgia\u2019s Tomorrow takes shape and evolves under his thoughtful leadership.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003E\u201cI believe that my experience in research administration and in leading multidisciplinary research programs, along with the focus of my research on the vulnerability of Georgia\u2019s communities to climate change, have prepared me well for this role,\u201d says Kostka, who is the Tom and Marie Patton Distinguished Professor and associate chair for Research in the\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/biosciences.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003ESchool of Biological Sciences\u003C\/a\u003E with a joint appointment in the\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/eas.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003ESchool of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences\u003C\/a\u003E. \u201cI am excited about the opportunity to lead the center as its inaugural director.\u201d\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003EKostka\u2019s appointment will begin on May 1, 2025.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch2\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EChampioning science in Georgia\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003EGeorgia\u0027s Tomorrow was created to foster research related to the health and resilience of Georgia\u2019s people, ecosystems, and communities. Specifically, it\u0026nbsp;will serve to boost research collaboration across the Institute, pave the way for public-private partnerships, and expand opportunities for Georgia students and communities to engage with Institute research.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003EAmong Kostka\u2019s first tasks as faculty director will be the development of the center\u2019s strategic plan and the completion of two dedicated cluster hires from within the College of Sciences\u2019 six schools.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch2\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EMeet Joel Kostka\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003EKostka is known for bridging biogeochemistry and microbiology to elucidate the role of microorganisms in ecosystem function. He has emerged as an international leader in ecosystem biogeoscience, providing a quantitative predictive understanding of how ecosystems function as well as determining the mechanisms by which climate change alters ecosystem resilience. He partners with a variety of stakeholders to conduct research on the restoration and adaptive management of\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/research.gatech.edu\/roots-resilience-investigating-vital-role-microbes-coastal-plant-health\u0022\u003Ecoastal ecosystems in Georgia\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003EKostka has also served as the PI of a range of multidisciplinary research projects focused on environmental change as well as scientific advisory boards including Georgia Tech\u2019s\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/research.gatech.edu\/energy\u0022\u003EStrategic Energy Institute\u003C\/a\u003E, the NSF-funded Plum Island Estuary Long-term Ecological Research program, and the Johnston Center for Coastal Sustainability on Bald Head Island.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003EKostka received a B.S. in Biology from Western Illinois University and a Ph.D. in Marine Science from the University of Delaware. Prior to joining Georgia Tech in 2011, he was a professor at the Department of Oceanography and Associate Director of the Institute of Energy Systems, Economics, and Sustainability at Florida State University.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003E\u003Cem\u003EInitial support for Georgia Tech for Georgia\u2019s Tomorrow is generously provided by the College of Sciences Betsy Middleton and John Clark Sutherland Dean\u0027s Chair fund. Cluster hire funding has been awarded by Provost Steven W. McLaughlin. The initiative will also seek funding from state, national and international organizations, private foundations, and government agencies to expand impact. Philanthropic support will also be sought in the form of professorships, programmatic support for the center, and seed funding.\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003E\u003Cem\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EGeorgia Tech for Georgia\u0027s Tomorrow\u003C\/strong\u003E initially launched under the working name \u003Cstrong\u003EScience for Georgia\u0027s Tomorrow (Sci4GT)\u003C\/strong\u003E.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":"","format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EThe new center, announced by the College in December 2024, will drive research aimed at improving life\u0026nbsp;across the state of Georgia.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"The new center, announced by the College in December 2024, will drive research aimed at improving life\u00a0across the state of Georgia. "}],"uid":"36583","created_gmt":"2025-04-07 13:25:49","changed_gmt":"2025-05-21 19:46:10","author":"lvidal7","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","location":"Atlanta, GA","dateline":{"date":"2025-04-04T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2025-04-04T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"675025":{"id":"675025","type":"image","title":"Joel Kostka ","body":null,"created":"1726693287","gmt_created":"2024-09-18 21:01:27","changed":"1726693287","gmt_changed":"2024-09-18 21:01:27","alt":"Joel Kostka","file":{"fid":"258612","name":"Joel Kostka.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/2024\/09\/18\/Joel%20Kostka.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/2024\/09\/18\/Joel%20Kostka.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":422897,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/2024\/09\/18\/Joel%20Kostka.jpg?itok=zIPhfLUz"}}},"media_ids":["675025"],"related_links":[{"url":"https:\/\/cos.gatech.edu\/news\/new-center-science-georgias-tomorrow","title":"New Center: Georgia Tech for Georgia\u0027s Tomorrow"},{"url":"https:\/\/sites.gatech.edu\/kostkalab\/","title":"Kostka Lab"}],"groups":[{"id":"1278","name":"College of Sciences"},{"id":"1275","name":"School of Biological Sciences"},{"id":"85951","name":"School of Chemistry and Biochemistry"},{"id":"364801","name":"School of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences (EAS)"},{"id":"1279","name":"School of Mathematics"},{"id":"126011","name":"School of Physics"},{"id":"443951","name":"School of Psychology"}],"categories":[{"id":"42901","name":"Community"},{"id":"42911","name":"Education"},{"id":"154","name":"Environment"},{"id":"146","name":"Life Sciences and Biology"},{"id":"135","name":"Research"},{"id":"134","name":"Student and Faculty"}],"keywords":[{"id":"4896","name":"College of Sciences"},{"id":"194451","name":"Science for Georgia\u0027s Tomorrow"},{"id":"193266","name":"cos-research"},{"id":"192254","name":"cos-climate"},{"id":"194452","name":"Georgia science"}],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EWriter: Lindsay C. Vidal\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":[],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}