Agricultural Sciences

Duncan joins Department of Ecosystem Science and Management

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- Jonathan Duncan recently joined Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences as an assistant professor of hydrology in the Department of Ecosystem Science and Management. His appointment also is under the umbrella of the Institutes of Energy and the Environment, which is one of seven interdisciplinary research institutes at Penn State.

Duncan has a split teaching/research appointment and will teach an undergraduate course in watershed management and graduate courses in the area of ecohydrology, a growing area of scientific inquiry that focuses on the intersection of ecosystem science and water.

"We are pleased to have Jon join our faculty," said Michael Messina, head of the Department of Ecosystem Science and Management. "He has a wealth of expertise and experience, and we look forward to his contributions to education and interdisciplinary research in hydrology and watershed management."

Duncan received a bachelor of science degree in biology with minors in environmental studies and geography from the State University of New York at Geneseo; a master's degree in public administration in environmental policy and administration from the Maxwell School of Syracuse University; and a master's degree in environmental resource and forest engineering, water resource engineering option, from the State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry.

He most recently was a member of the Institute for the Environment at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where he received his doctorate focusing on watershed hydrology and biogeochemistry.

He has published in nearly a dozen peer-reviewed journals, received the Nanneral Koehane Distinguished Visiting Professorship Graduate Student Award from UNC Chapel Hill, and secured several research grants, including a new McIntire Stennis grant on quantifying how hydrologic variations determine the amount of nutrients exported in streamflow.

The aim of Duncan's research is to understand how the biophysical template of watersheds affects the hydrologic transport and biogeochemical transformations of nutrients. He uses geospatial analysis, environmental sensors and modeling approaches to answer questions about nutrient transport and the resiliency of watersheds.

Among Duncan's goals as a new faculty member are to develop engaging courses, serve as a dedicated mentor to students, and conduct policy-relevant, ecohydrological research in forested, agricultural and urban watersheds.

Duncan already is involved in collaborations across the college and the University with hopes that results can help inform efficient and effective watershed-management strategies in the Chesapeake Bay watershed and beyond.

Jonathan Duncan, assistant professor of hydrology in the Department of Ecosystem Science and Management. Credit: Penn State / Penn StateCreative Commons

Last Updated September 27, 2019

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