Bio

Charles Gifford Post

Charles Gifford Post is an ecologist, filmmaker, environmental brand consultant, member of the IUCN Species Survival Commission (SSC) and National Fellow at The Explorers Club. Inspired by the natural world since he was a boy exploring the salmon creeks of northern California, Charles earned baccalaureate and graduate degrees at U.C. Berkeley where he was mentored by evolutionary ecologist, Dr. Stephanie Carlson, and later advised by the esteemed food web ecologist and National Academy of Sciences member, Dr. Mary Power. Since then, Charles has built a bridge between his ecological background and creative ventures through his award-winning films, and widely published writing and photography spanning topics from the decline of kittiwakes in the Norwegian arctic to the beauty and fragility of migrating raptors across North America. In 2018, Charles launched an ecological brand consulting business in which he helps diverse clients ranging from Dometic to Sitka Gear and Hipcamp develop and activate ecologically guided strategy and projects that have impact and matter.

Academic Background

Community Outreach

Professional Memberships

Teaching Experience

• Field Biology, University of California, Berkeley (Fall, 2013)
• Field Biology, University of California, Berkeley (Spring, 2014)
• American Environmental History, University of California, Berkeley (Fall, 2014)
• Guest Lecturer, ESPM 100 Environmental Problem Solving, University of California, Berkeley (2021)

Select Field Research Experience

• 2011 – 2014, 2016 – Field research assistant under NOAA fisheries biologist, Dave Rundio, during a biannual population study on steelhead trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) in Big Sur, California. Project supported by NOAA and NMFS.

• 2012-2015 – Master’s Thesis: Principal investigator on a four year research project to study the effects of hydrologic variability on American dipper (Cinclus mexicanus) foraging and food web impacts in Mendocino, Monterey and Inyo Counties. Project supported by U.C. Berkeley.

• 2013 – Head bird-bander and field team leader for a seasonal migratory songbird study in the central Utah desert. 457 birds were banded across 44 species. Project lead by Dr. Cagan Sekercioglu and supported by the University of Utah and National Geographic.

• 2012 – Research assistant under PhD candidate, Katie LaBarbera. We investigated dark-eyed junco (Junco hyemalis) morphology and genetics over elevational gradients in the Sierra Nevada. Project lead by Dr. Rauri Bowie and supported by the U.C. Berkeley and the National Science Foundation.

• 2010 – 2014 – Field research assistant for Dr. Mary Power’s Food Web Ecology Lab at U.C. Berkeley. Over the course of four years, I contributed to an ongoing study investigating food web linkages and how they are shaped by seasonal drought, flooding and algal proliferation. Project supported by U.C. Berkeley and the National Science Foundation.

(Released under Common Attribution 4.0 | The image on this page is a photo of Charles Post and has been released to public domain)