Thomas S. Bianchi
Thomas S. Bianchi is an oceanographer and biogeochemist. He was most recently a Distinguished Professor, the Jon and Beverly Thompson Endowed Research Chair of Geological Sciences at the University of Florida, and is now a research professor at the Study of the Institute for the Study of Earth, Oceans, and Space at the University of New Hampshire University of New Hampshire. He is also editor-in-chief of the journal Marine Chemistry.
Early life and education
Bianchi was born in 1956 in Richmond Hill, New York, and moved to Holbrook in eastern Long Island, where he stayed through his early college years. As a child, he was interested in basketball, largely influenced by his uncle, Al Bianchi, who was a professional basketball player. Bianchi has played drums through much of his life, and became interested in oceanography very early on.He earned his Ph.D. from University of Maryland in 1987.
Research and career
Bianchi has been a professor at the University of Florida since 2013. Before joining UF, he held full professor positions at Tulane University and Texas A&M University.The main focus of his work has been the movement of organic matter, particularly as it interacts with changes in rivers, estuaries, and the ocean. His research team uses chemical biomarkers and other molecular tools from microbial ecology, organic geochemistry, and isotope geochemistry to explore carbon cycling in aquatic environments.
Awards and recognition
- Edward P. Bass Distinguished Visiting Environmental Scholar, Yale Institute of Biospheric Studies, Yale University,2023
- Fellow of the American Geophysical Union for his exceptional contributions in his respective field of Earth and space sciences, 2019
- Qilu Friendship Award, People's Government of Shandong Province, China, 2018
- Fellow of the Geochemical Society and the European Association of Geochemistry, 2017
- Fellow of the Association for the Sciences of Limnology and Oceanography, 2017
- Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, 2013
Personal life
Books
- Gulf of Mexico: Origin, Waters, and Biota
- Deltas and Humans: A Long Relationship Now Threatened by Global Change. Oxford University Press. 2016..
- Biogeochemical Dynamics at Major River-Coastal Interfaces: Linkages with Global Change. Cambridge University Press. 2014..
- Chemical Biomarkers in Aquatic Ecosystems. Princeton University Press. 2011..
- Hypoxia in the Northern Gulf of Mexico. Springer. 2010..
- Biogeochemistry of Estuaries. Oxford University Press. 2006..
- Biogeochemistry of Gulf of Mexico Estuaries. John Wiley & Sons. 1998..
Selected publications