Associate Dean, Programs and Curriculum
Professor, Environmental and Ocean Sciences
- PhD, Scripps Institution of Oceanography University of California San Diego, Marine Biology
- BS, University of Minnesota, Biology (emphasis in Ecology and Behavioral Biology)
Ron Kaufmann, PhD, joined the USD faculty in 1997 and currently serves as the Associate Dean for Programs and Curriculum in the College of Arts and Sciences. His areas of specialization are benthic and pelagic ecology and environmental biology, and his teaching includes courses in biology, environmental studies and marine science, as well as interdisciplinary courses that are team-taught with colleagues in the humanities. Kaufmann’s scholarship focuses on biological communities and their dynamics as well as their responses to changing environmental conditions. He has studied marine communities in extreme environments such as the Antarctic and the deep ocean, as well as in Mission Bay. At this time, he is not taking on any new graduate students, though he is available to serve as a graduate committee member.
Areas of Interest
Kaufmann has taught introductory courses in biology and marine biology, upper division courses in biological oceanography, marine resources, and contemporary environmental issues, and graduate courses in marine science and environmental studies. He also has team-taught courses for the Honors Program that focused on applying both scientific and philosophical approaches to modern environmental issues. In all courses he emphasizes critical thinking, student engagement and a process-based approach to learning.