Richard JonesRichard Jones is an OPS researcher at CES who has a broad ranging background in the fields of ecology and environmental science. He has a master’s degree in environmental science from FAU specializing in the ecology of a poorly studied group of deep-sea fishes from the Gulf of Mexico. Much of his early career in academia has revolved around research related to the ecological fallout of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. However, Richard’s professional interests range from biodiversity and ecology of all types to agriculture and human-environment sustainability. While his interests are broad, he says his focus is consistently centered on understanding and improving interactions between biodiverse ecosystems and a growing human population in a rapidly changing world.
Richard first came to FAU as an undergraduate at the Harriet L. Wilkes Honor’s College on the Jupiter campus. Some years after graduating with a bachelor’s in environmental science, he returned to FAU as a graduate student working with the DEEPEND research consortium. After having graduated in 2018, Richard joined the CES team as an OPS contracted researcher and has been involved with several CES projects since.
Richard enjoys the “think tank” atmosphere of CES, where he can engage in creative and positive ideation for the many ecological problems facing South Florida and the region. He feels that the place, people, and style that define CES are the perfect combination for engaging the public on some of the most important issues of our time.
Currently, Richard is working with a FEMA funded CES project to help promote flood resilience in Florida’s communities, as well as to reduce flood insurance premiums. He is also working closely with the “Salty Urbanism” project, which is a NOAA Sea Grant funded effort to develop natural and nature-based architectural solutions for Ft. Lauderdale given a sea-level rise scenario of 6 feet. In addition, Richard is providing technical assistance to some of CES’s other current projects, most notably the CES-BEPI effort to assess attitudes on sea-level rise given political affiliation.
