Jed Kaplan

Jed Kaplan is Professor and Canada Research Chair (Tier 1) in Global System Modeling at the University of Calgary, with joint appointments in the Departments of Earth, Energy, and Environment and Computer Science. His research develops computer simulation models to study long-term human-environment interactions.

Research focuses on:

• Land cover-climate feedback mechanisms
• Historical land use reconstruction
• Wildfire ecology and management
• Paleoenvironmental change
• Anthropocene dynamics

Recent publications (2023-2025) examine human adaptation to climate extremes, wildfire-climate interactions, Anthropocene signatures in Earth systems, and paleoclimate reconstructions using pollen and ice core records. Key projects include modeling Indigenous fire management practices, developing next-generation vegetation models, and reconstructing historical land cover.

Dr. Kaplan directs the Global System Modeling laboratory and collaborates with international initiatives including the Fire Model Intercomparison Project and LandCover6k.