John N Thompson is Distinguished Research Professor of Ecology and Evolution at the University of California, Santa Cruz. His research is on how the process of coevolution shapes the earth’s biodiversity into webs of interacting species. His studies have included the mathematical theory of coevolution, interactions between plants and their enemies and mutualists, and interactions among microbes. He has used a mix of long-term studies in wilderness areas, field experiments, and laboratory experiments to probe how species coevolve over small to large geographic scales and over short to long periods of time. He is a past president of the American Society of Naturalists, a recipient of the Darwin-Wallace Medal for major advances in evolutionary biology, and a recipient of the Per Brink Oikos Award for contributions to the science of ecology. His books include Interaction and Coevolution (1982), The Coevolutionary Process (1994), The Geographic Mosaic of Coevolution (2005), and Relentless Evolution (2013). Awards, Elected Honorary Societies, and Professional Recognition: Elected Fellow, Royal Entomological Society of London, 1986 Elected Fellow, American Association for the Advancement of Science, 1988 ISI List of the Most Cited Researchers in Ecology/Evolutionary Biology, 2002 Elected Fellow, California Academy of Sciences, 2004 Per Brinck Oikos Award for Important Contributions to Ecology, 2009 President, American Society of Naturalists, 2008; ASN Executive Council 2007-2011 Elected Fellow, American Academy of Arts and Sciences, 2010 Darwin-Wallace Medal for Major Contributions to Evolutionary Biology, Linnean Society, 2017