2026 Lecture Series: Rob Dunn, Ph.D., at NHMU

Cultivating Mutualisms with Other Species: Responding to the Call of the Honeyguide and the Stink of the Bacillus

Across history, humans have gone through many transitions regarding the species with which we partner: fruit trees, honeybees, and gut microbes (to name just a few). Many of the transitions in human partnerships occurred during times of great climate change.

Join Rob Dunn, Ph. D., in an exploration of these partnerships, imagining partnerships of the future and reconsidering current relationships, and discover the impact that ordinary professionals (like architects and chefs) are having on these vital relationships.

This event is free to attend with RSVP. Dr. Dunn will give the same lecture the next day at the County Library's Viridian Event Center in West Jordan.

About the Speaker

Dr. Robert (Rob) Dunn serves as Senior Vice Provost for University Interdisciplinary Programs at NC State University. In this role, Dunn oversees the Office of University Interdisciplinary Programs, which includes the Chancellor’s Faculty Excellence Program; the Data Science, Genetics and Genomics, and Global One Health Academies; the Biotechnology Program; the Coastal Resilience and Sustainability Initiative; NC State Innovation and Entrepreneurship; the Integrative Sciences Initiative; the Long View Project; the Sustainable Futures Initiative; and the Shelton Leadership Center. He has worked alongside university leaders and campus partners to stand up the office and is responsible for equipping new interdisciplinary initiatives for success, supporting existing initiatives, and achieving the office's strategic goals.

Dunn received his Bachelor of Arts in biology from Kalamazoo College and his Ph. D. in ecology and evolution from the University of Connecticut. He is an avid writer and has published popular articles in National Geographic, the New York Times, and the Wall Street Journal, among others, and seven books, most recently A Natural History of the Future and Delicious, The Evolution of Flavor and How it Made us Human, with Monica Sanchez.

2026 Lecture Series Sponsors

• Founding Underwriter: R. Harold Burton Foundation
• Underwriter: Cultural Vision 30 Year Endowment Fund
• Gold Sponsors: Karen and Ken Buchi; Curt and Mary Crowther; M Lazy M Foundation; Rio Tinto Kennecott
• Silver Sponsors: The DiFiore Family Foundation; Diana George; MSL Foundation; Paula Swaner Sargetakis and Joe Sargetakis | Frog Bench Farms
• Community Partners: The County Library | Viridian Event Center; Kingsbury Hall; Pictureline
• Institutional Support: Salt Lake County Zoo, Arts, and Parks