Dickson Donald Despommier (June 5, 1940 – February 7, 2025) was an American academic, microbiologist and ecologist who was a professor of

microbiology Microbiology () is the branches of science, scientific study of microorganisms, those being of unicellular organism, unicellular (single-celled), multicellular organism, multicellular (consisting of complex cells), or non-cellular life, acellula ...

and

Public Health Public health is "the science and art of preventing disease, prolonging life and promoting health through the organized efforts and informed choices of society, organizations, public and private, communities and individuals". Analyzing the de ...

Columbia University Columbia University in the City of New York, commonly referred to as Columbia University, is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Churc ...

. From 1971 to 2009, he conducted research on intracellular

parasitism Parasitism is a close relationship between species, where one organism, the parasite, lives (at least some of the time) on or inside another organism, the host, causing it some harm, and is adapted structurally to this way of life. The en ...

and taught courses on parasitic diseases, medical ecology and ecology. Despommier received media coverage for his ideas on

vertical farming Vertical farming is the practice of growing crops in vertically and horizontally stacked layers. It often incorporates controlled-environment agriculture, which aims to optimize plant growth, and soilless farming techniques such as hydroponics ...

Early life and education

Despommier was born on June 5, 1940, in New Orleans. His father was a shipping line accountant. When he was a child, his parents divorced. In 1962, Despommier received a BS in biology from Fairleigh Dickinson University. In 1964, he received an MS in medical parasitology from

. In 1967, he received a PhD in microbiology from the

University of Notre Dame The University of Notre Dame du Lac (known simply as Notre Dame; ; ND) is a Private university, private Catholic research university in Notre Dame, Indiana, United States. Founded in 1842 by members of the Congregation of Holy Cross, a Cathol ...

Research

Despommier had research interests in the ecotone as a zone of high disease transmission; the spread of

schistosomiasis Schistosomiasis, also known as snail fever, bilharzia, and Katayama fever is a neglected tropical helminthiasis, disease caused by parasitism, parasitic Schistosoma, flatworms called schistosomes. It affects both humans and animals. It affects ...

malaria Malaria is a Mosquito-borne disease, mosquito-borne infectious disease that affects vertebrates and ''Anopheles'' mosquitoes. Human malaria causes Signs and symptoms, symptoms that typically include fever, Fatigue (medical), fatigue, vomitin ...

, and helminths ( ascaris,

hookworm Hookworms are Gastrointestinal tract, intestinal, Hematophagy, blood-feeding, parasitic Nematode, roundworms that cause types of infection known as helminthiases. Hookworm infection is found in many parts of the world, and is common in areas with ...

trichuris ''Trichuris'' (synonym ''Trichocephalus''), often referred to as whipworms or the silent serpent (which typically refers to ''T. trichiura'' only in medicine, and to any other species in veterinary medicine), is a Genus–differentia definition, ...

) in agricultural areas; and the ecology of West Nile virus with a focus on related weather patterns. Despommier was especially known for his research on Trichinella spiralis, which led to numerous advances in understanding of the "muscle stage" of the organism, and how it maintains itself in the host for long periods of time in the Nurse cell/parasite complex (weeks to years in some cases). He developed his concept of vertical farming over a 10-year period with graduate students in a medical ecology class beginning in 1999, with work continued by designer Chris Jacobs and Ontarian eco-architect Gordon Graff from the

University of Waterloo The University of Waterloo (UWaterloo, UW, or Waterloo) is a Public university, public research university located in Waterloo, Ontario, Canada. The main campus is on of land adjacent to uptown Waterloo and Waterloo Park. The university also op ...

's School of Architecture.

Science outreach to the public

In June 2008, Despommier appeared on '' The Colbert Report'', where he described the concept of vertical farming to

Stephen Colbert Stephen Tyrone Colbert ( ; born May 13, 1964) is an American comedian, writer, producer, political commentator, actor, and television host. He is best known for hosting the satirical Comedy Central program ''The Colbert Report'' from 2005 to ...

. He was a regular panel-member of the podcast '' This Week in Virology'', produced by his colleague Vincent Racaniello. This Week in Parasitism (TWiP) is a podcast about eukaryotic parasites started by Vincent Racaniello and Dickson Despommier. Daniel Griffin, MD joined the team in January 2015, followed by Christina Naula.

Death

Despommier died on February 7, 2025, at the age of 84.

Books

Despommier authored or co-authored 10 books: * * * * * * * * * * * Chapters by Despommier: * Despommier, D. (2020).
Vertical farming systems for urban agriculture
'' In: Wiskerke, J. S. C.
Achieving sustainable urban agriculture
'' Cambridge: Burleigh Dodds Science Publishing.

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Despommier, Dickson 1940 births 2025 deaths American microbiologists American ecologists American parasitologists Columbia University faculty Columbia University alumni University of Notre Dame alumni Scientists from New Orleans 20th-century American biologists 21st-century American biologists Fairleigh Dickinson University alumni