Bob Scholes: Multifaceted scientist with a genius for synthesis

Abstract

Prof. Robert (Bob) Scholes passed away unexpectedly on April 28, 2021, while on an 11-day, 160-km hike along the Kunene River in northern Namibia. Energetic, enthusiastic, and larger than life to the very end, his sudden passing was a huge shock and loss to his colleagues and loved ones. But as one of his colleagues pointed out, “just like Bob—to go out in style, not while crouched over his computer like the rest of us.” The Kalahari and Miombo woodlands of northern Namibia were special to Bob. They were central to many of his formative scientific experiences. In a way, his career might be said to have come full circle. He was an International Member with a primary affiliation in Section 64 (Human Environmental Science) and a secondary affiliation in Section 63 (Environmental Sciences and Ecology) of the National Academy of Sciences, a Fellow of the South African Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), a Fellow of the Royal Society of South Africa, Member of the South African Academy, a Research Associate of the CSIR, a National Research Foundation A-rated scientist, and a winner of the National Science and Technology Forum Lifetime Contribution to Science Award. Bob Scholes. Image credit: Benjamin Drummond (photographer). Bob, Mary, and Stirling Scholes. Image credit: Stirling Scholes (photographer). Bob called himself a “systems ecologist.” He was interested in “big-picture ecology” and used systems thinking to help address major national … [↵][1]1To whom correspondence may be addressed. Email: sally.archibald{at}wits.ac.za or cfield{at}stanford.edu. [1]: #xref-corresp-1-1