Welcome, Jon!

Please welcome Dr. Jon Lefcheck, IAN's new Research Scientist! Jon is a community ecologist, biodiversity scientist, and statistician with an enduring affinity for seagrasses. He has worked in systems as diverse as coral reefs, mangroves, salt marshes, oyster reefs, and deep-sea hydrothermal vents. He regularly engages scientists, managers, and volunteers around the world to understand, monitor, conserve, and restore coastal ecosystems for the benefit of nature and people. Jon has published over 75 peer-reviewed articles, including in top-ranking journals like Science and Nature, and his work has been covered by popular media, including the New York Times, Washington Post, Smithsonian Magazine and National Public Radio. He received his Ph.D. in Marine Science from the College of William & Mary in 2015 and was a post-doctoral researcher at the Virginia Institute of Marine Science until 2017 and at the Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences until 2018. Before his current posting, he served as the Coordinating Scientist for the MarineGEO program at the Smithsonian Institution until 2023. In his spare time, he enjoys running and playing with his cat, Berlioz (who you can find in the acknowledgments of many of his articles). You can learn more about him at his website or on Twitter.

---