Brian S. Cheng, Ph.D.
*** September 2017, I will begin a new appointment as Assistant Professor at UMass Amherst in the Department of Environmental Conservation ***
*** May – August 2017, I will be a Scientist-in-Residence at the Shoals Marine Laboratory ***
Postdoctoral Fellow
Marine Global Earth Observatory | Smithsonian Institution
Smithsonian Environmental Research Center
647 Contees Wharf Road | Edgewater, MD, USA 21037
bscheng at gmail dot com | (443) 482-2365 (email is best, I often travel)
CV | Google Scholar | ResearchGate | Marine Ecology Family Tree
I am an ecologist and I use laboratory and field approaches to ask questions about nature. My interests are general but I’m particularly focused on the interplay between environmental stress (climate change and local stressors), species invasions, and species interactions (e.g. predation). Lately, I’ve been working towards integrating ecology and biogeography. I mostly collect empirical data, but I also synthesize known data to gain insight into how marine ecosystems work.
As a MarineGEO postdoctoral fellow, my research has two primary foci. First, I am looking at a proposed mechanism for the latitudinal diversity gradient (i.e. the biotic interactions hypothesis). Second, I am working to synthesize the effects of marine protected areas on ecosystem function. For this work, I am collaborating with Andrew Altieri and Mark Torchin of STRI, as well as Greg Ruiz of SERC.
My trusty sidekick, Wilson, helping me do some field work in Tomales Bay. Note the type-DOG pfd. Safety first!
Obligatory word cloud using abstracts from my four most recent papers (powered by Wordle; winter 2016). I seem to favor ‘environmental’, ‘salinity’, and ‘predators’.
In my spare time, I enjoy growing vegetables, fermenting things, and tending to chickens.
Growing seedlings is my specialty.
Here’s my first flock.
A special double IPA straight from Bear Republic Brewery. They gave me wort out of a fire hose!!
marine global change ecology 