Joseph K. Brown, PhD

I am an ecologist and educator with a background in coastal plant ecology and probabilistic climate analysis. My work has explored dune-building mechanisms and plant community responses to disturbance, investigating how dune grass interactions shape morphological traits critical to dune formation and how photosynthetic pathways influence plant responses to burial. I have also studied plant community dynamics on barrier islands, linking species traits to dominant environmental stressors, and conducted field experiments on nutrient enrichment in coastal grasslands. More recently, my research has focused on developing and R computational tool (Matilda) for probabilistic climate analysis which uses Bayesian approaches to assess climate uncertainty and analyze how prior distributions of model parameters influence climate projections. As an educator, I emphasize inquiry-driven learning, active engagement, and data science applications in ecology, striving to create inclusive learning environments that support diverse perspectives and student success.