César Terrer

César Terrer is the Class of 1958 Assistant Professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at MIT. He earned his PhD from Imperial College London and completed postdoctoral research at Stanford University and Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. His lab investigates terrestrial carbon cycle dynamics, climate-change impacts on ecosystems, and nature-based climate solutions.

Research focuses on carbon ecology (understanding ecosystem carbon storage under climate change) and solutions (developing strategies to maximize carbon sequestration). Key projects examine soil carbon restoration in abandoned croplands, animal-mediated seed dispersal in forest regrowth, and peatland carbon dynamics.

Professor Terrer received the NSF CAREER Award (2024) for research on soil carbon loss and mitigation strategies. His publications employ meta-analyses, remote sensing, and machine learning to address global ecological challenges.

The Terrer Lab maintains collaborations with international institutions and emphasizes diversity in climate science. Current grants support work on cropland restoration potential and extreme weather impacts on carbon sinks.