Stephen Jane

Stephen Jane is a Society of Science Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of Notre Dame, affiliated with the Galvin Life Science Center and Freimann Life Science Center. His research focuses on the impacts of climate change on aquatic ecosystems, particularly the deoxygenation of lakes and its cascading effects on biodiversity, nutrient cycles, and human health. Jane employs multi-disciplinary approaches including long-term dataset analysis, field observations, and predictive modeling to understand planetary boundary frameworks and feedback mechanisms in lake systems.

Key research themes include dissolved organic matter dynamics, thermal stratification impacts, and the interplay between climate drivers and aquatic oxygen levels. His work highlights critical thresholds in ecosystem resilience and explores hidden ecological consequences of extreme events like hurricanes. Jane has contributed to high-impact studies on lake browning, cold-water fish habitat loss, and the interplay between selenium and mercury bioaccumulation in food webs.

Publications span over two decades of lake monitoring data, revealing global patterns of deoxygenation and its implications for Earth system stability. His datasets from 822 lakes and case studies like the Müggelsee provide foundational evidence for climate policy development. Jane’s research bridges environmental chemistry, biogeochemistry, and biodiversity conservation, emphasizing both local and global scales.