He was University Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Biological Sciences at Virginia Tech.
He received his bachelor's degree in zoology from Columbia University before joining the United States Army.
He served as a statistical control officer under Robert McNamara before returning to Columbia to earn his doctoral degree in 1949, studying under Theodosius Dobzhansky.
[1][2] He joined the Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory in 1947 and was promoted to its assistant director.
His research has initially focused on the study of genetics and natural populations, but shifted towards environmental issues after his retirement.