Jonathan Behrens (PC: Colin Tierney)

I am an urban ecologist interested in how human activities alter the functioning of ecosystems and the cascading effect on human communities and societies. As a "systems thinker" I love working with a diversity of individuals to understand how we can use data, research, and community-knowledge to tackle societal issues that transcend the traditional boundaries that often separate our communities. In my career I seek out opportunities to work at the intersect of communities, policy, and science. I collaborate with stakeholders to develop, implement, and evaluate evidence-based policies to protect water, air, and land resources. Outside the workplace, I am active in labor, environmental, queer, and progressive organizing efforts to unite communities and secure inclusive and ethical public policy. 

My research engages concepts, theories, and methods from the fields of biological, chemical, geological, and social sciences. You might find me wading in streams impacted by cities, farms, and industrial activity or protected forests for research. I have investigated how human-driven stressors (organic and inorganic chemical contaminants, heat, and hydrologic "flashiness") impact wildlife richness and abundance, food web interactions, and the resulting fate and transport of chemical contaminants. These streams and the wildlife they support provide critical social, economic, cultural, and spiritual resources to human communities.

I am currently a postdoctoral researcher at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, advised by Marie Kurz, Natalie Griffiths, and Scott Brooks as part of the Watershed Dynamics and Evolution Science Focus Area. I received my PhD in Ecology within the interdisciplinary Duke University River Center, advised by Dr. Emily Bernhardt and Dr. Martin Doyle.

I was previously a fellow at the Science and Technology Policy Institute. I engaged in research projects to support federal agencies and the cabinet-level National Science and Technology Council on drinking water contaminants, methane emissions, space policy, and management of research funding for health, environment, and basic sciences.

I also wrote for the American Institute of Physics’ FYI: Science Policy News, covering federal science policy developments on Capitol Hill and various science agencies and republished in various outlets. 

Cherry blossoms on the Potomac River, DC
(Credit: J. Behrens/CC BY-NC)

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