Dr. Chris Field studies coastal and offshore ecology in the face of global change. His research seeks to generate evidence that can be used for decision making related to urgent environmental problems, including coastal squeeze from sea level rise and energy production in offshore ecosystems. He has studied tidal marshes; endangered species—including the globally endangered saltmarsh sparrow; and socio-ecological systems through the lens of quantifying and understanding risk to species and ecosystems. Chris was a postdoctoral research fellow at SESYNC from 2017-2019. At SESYNC, Chris developed research to quantify what types of evidence are needed for understanding extinction risk and promoting efficient planning for marine transgression and landward marsh migration. He has also worked with other SESYNC postdocs on research to better understand the role of art in influencing environmental behaviors in the face of climate change and how the COVID-19 pandemic strengthened people’s interest in the connections between public health and conservation. Currently, as a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Rhode Island, Chris is developing a framework for understanding and projecting how large-scale shifts in energy production to wind will impact endangered species that use offshore ecosystems. Chris received his PhD at the University of Connecticut, where he was awarded the best dissertation award by the Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Department.
External Links:
https://www.chrisfieldecology.com
