Adrian V. Rocha

Adrian V. Rocha is an Associate Professor in the Department of Biological Sciences at the University of Notre Dame. His research focuses on ecosystem ecology, particularly the biological and environmental controls on ecosystem exchanges of mass and energy in Arctic and boreal biomes.

• Ph.D., Earth Systems Science, University of California, Irvine (2008)
• M.S., Environmental Science, Ohio State University (2003)
• B.S., Earth Systems Science and Policy, California State University of Monterey Bay (2001)

Rocha employs eddy covariance, remote sensing, and ground-based measurements to study climate change impacts on Arctic tundra and boreal forests, with emphasis on wildfire effects, carbon cycling, and vegetation recovery. Recent projects investigate post-fire carbon flux recovery, tundra phenology controls, and permafrost-wildfire interactions.

His scientific work spans collaborations with international teams across the Alaskan North Slope and Arctic tundra ecosystems, contributing to journals like Environmental Research Letters, Global Change Biology, and Ecological Applications. Former lab members include Ph.D. students Salvatore Curasi and Bethany Blakely.