Richard B. Primack has served at Boston University since 1978. He received his B.A. from Harvard University and Ph.D.in Botany from Duke University. His current research focuses on the impact of climate change on species.

In the last 30 years, he has been carrying out research in tropical forest ecology, especially in Malaysia. He was a principal investigator for the Man and Biosphere Program, coordinating research on the Maya forest of Belize, Guatemala and Mexico.