Victoria L. Sork

Victoria Sork is Life Sciences Division Dean and Professor in the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at the University of California, Los Angeles.

Professor Sork is interested in the ecology and evolutionary biology of temperate and tropical tree populations, particularly with respect to contemporary gene movement through pollen and seed dispersal and to historical gene movement. She applies information on ecological and evolutionary processes to environmental questions, such as the design of reserve networks and the conservation of tree species, in light of climate change and landscape alteration. Currently, she is focusing on California oaks, and she has worked on temperate and tropical forest tree species in the United States, Central and South America, and Africa. Professor Sork’s research integrates traditional evolutionary biology with environmental questions into an emerging field of evolutionary conservation science with the ultimate goal of translating science into policy.