The College of Forest Resources and Environmental Science announces a new faculty member. Christian L. John begins his duties with CFRES as an assistant professor of environmental data science and biostatistics. John, who earned his PhD from the University of California Davis, is a landscape ecologist investigating how global change affects seasonal ecological processes. John said the journey to his research niche has been a long adventure that began in his high school biology lab.
Along the way, he’s dabbled in molecular biology, hummingbirds, and archaeology. He comes to Michigan Tech with expertise in landscape dynamics, phenology, and seasonality; animal migration and movement ecology; and multiscale remote sensing and field validation of satellite products.
He’s looking forward to sharing his academic passion and curiosity with his students.
“I’m really excited to work with foresters who want to develop novel quantitative approaches in their projects. The students in this college are super motivated and hardworking, and I feel really lucky that I get to mentor such a bright group of future professionals,” he said.
John does much of his fieldwork in rugged and remote settings. “I’m really interested in fusing remote sensing products with detailed in-situ observational data,” he said. “I use time-lapse cameras for tracking seasonal variability in snow and plant dynamics, and am always looking for new ways to use deployable technology in the field for long-term, high-resolution environmental monitoring.”
In the new academic year, CFRES is also congratulating faculty on new career achievements. Valoree Gagnon was promoted from assistant professor to associate professor. Xinfeng Xie advanced from associate professor to professor. Moving from assistant teaching professor to associate teaching professor are Stacy Cotey and Parth Bhatt.
About the College of Forest Resources and Environmental Science
Michigan Tech’s College of Forest Resources and Environmental Science brings students, faculty, and researchers together to measure, map, model, analyze, and deploy solutions. The College offers six bachelor’s degrees in forestry, wildlife ecology and conservation, applied ecology and environmental science, natural resources management, sustainable bioproducts, and environmental science and sustainability. We offer graduate degrees in applied ecology, forest ecology and management, forest molecular genetics and biotechnology, and forest science.
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