National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration
United States Department of Commerce

Dr. Jens Nielsen

Aquatic Ecologist
Phone Number: 
(206) 526-4178
Staff Affiliation: 
NOAA/AFSC

I am an aquatic ecologist. Focusing primarily on plankton ecology, my research aims to understand community and trophic dynamics in ecosystems. I am further interested in how chemical, physical and biological factors influence the functioning of ecosystems, and how ecological research can inform ecosystem management.  My current research focuses on analyzing long-term ichthyoplankton data in an effort to develop biological indicators of ecosystem changes along the US west coast from California to Alaska. My past research has centered on food web ecology and diet tracing techniques through a variety of empirical, modeling and syntheses studies. Before joining NOAA, I worked as a post-doctoral fellow at University of Washington and at Queen Mary University of London, United Kingdom. I hold a PhD in Marine Ecology from Stockholm University, Sweden.