Overview
Tong Qiu is an ecologist interested in understanding how global change affects terrestrial ecosystem functions and services across scales. He is particularly interested in how climate and habitat change jointly drive biodiversity shifts within both natural and urban systems and how these shifts influence the carbon, water, and energy exchanges between the biosphere and atmosphere. Together with his graduate students and postdocs, Tong develops data-model synthesis frameworks that integrate multi-source remote sensing, field sampling, and ecological monitoring networks with statistical models and Earth System models. His current research project involves quantifying the regeneration potential of global forests and their fundamental roles in supporting biodiversity. He leads a team of researchers committed to using remote sensing and forecasting models to guide conservation planning in a changing climate.