Member Profile
Mark Brown
University of Florida students and faculty researching Florida springs suggest alternative explanations for the algal bloom / nitrogen-enrichment hypothesis
A team of researchers from the University of Florida’s IGERT in Adaptive Management, a National Science Foundation supported Integrative Graduate Education and Research Training (IGERT) program is learning... More »
About Me
I was raised in South Florida, beginning my life in Miami and moving to Gainesville in 1967. Currently, I am a Professor in Environmental Engineering Sciences, where I direct the program in Systems Ecology and Ecological Engineering. I am also Director of the Center for Environmental Policy.
My research interests span a context that can be broadly described as natural resource management, including systems ecology, ecological engineering, ecological economics, environmental planning, environmental policy, and wetlands ecology. I have served as consultant on environmental issues to the EPA, USAID, Governments of Mexico, Brazil, Thailand, Papua New Guinea, Venezuela, and numerous private consulting firms world-wide. For six years I was consulting ecologist to The Cousteau Society working with their research teams to develop appropriate solutions to a wide array of resource management problems that affect marine resources throughout the world.
My current research includes projects to develop ecological indicators of wetland ecosystem health, development of indices of success for restored wetlands, restoration of drastically altered landscapes, quantitative evaluation of natural capital and environmental services, and development of a prototype biological and physical/chemical treatment system for removing phosphorus for tributaries.
Most importantly, I am foremost a teacher. My students are the core of our program. Much of what I do and the advances we make in understanding how to better interface humanity and environment has come about because of the dialog between me and my students and their hard work. This student/teacher relationship is the most rewarding part of this job.
