VCU ecologist Chris Gough named new Rice Rivers Center executive director

By Madeline Reinsel

Chris Gough isn't afraid of heights, and his work has taken him to the treetops - literally. The ecologist and Virginia Commonwealth University School of Life Sciences and Sustainability professor has spent his career researching how forests and wetlands absorb and release greenhouse gases from the atmosphere.

Gough's work has often taken him to the top of towering metal research platforms, and now, he plans to take the VCU Rice Rivers Center to new heights as well. Gough, Ph.D., was recently named the executive director of the university's Charles City County field station along the James River, which is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year.

Much of Gough's esearch has taken place at the Rice Rivers Center, which is the field station for the School of Life Sciences and Sustainability within the College of Humanities and Sciences. There, he uses data from the station's flux tower to study how the center's forests and marshes interact with the atmosphere, react to disturbances and respond to climate change. He is also passionate about integrating the arts and sciences, and has spent many years working with scientific illustrators and multimedia artists to bring science to life.

Gough, who has taught at VCU since 2008, brings over 20 years of research experience at the University of Michigan Biological Station to his new role, and he will continue to supervise undergraduate and graduate students.

VCU News spoke with Gough about the Rice Rivers Center's first 25 years and his plans for its next chapter.

First, set the scene for us: What might we initially see at the center?

In the first quarter of this century, the Rice Rivers Center transformed from a deserted YMCA camp into a full-fledged field station that supports outdoor research, education and outreach. When I visited for the first time in 2008, there were no buildings and little infrastructure. Since then, we've built a 14,000-square-foot research lab, a lodge for overnight guests, an education building, and a boathouse and pier.

Now, give us the bigger picture: How is the center making its mark?

During that time, the Rice Rivers Center established itself as a leader in conservation biology, wetland restoration and river ecology. Decades-long studies of Atlantic sturgeon and the prothonotary warbler are shaping conservation efforts in the Chesapeake Bay region. An oyster shell recycling program is supporting the restoration of our region's fisheries. And the center is a hub for water- and air-quality monitoring, providing data that shapes policy.

Faculty, staff and student partners have also established long-term relationships with community partners, including the Pamunkey and Chickahominy tribes, local artists and K-12 educators. Faculty have pioneered one-of-a-kind courses that use our rivers, wetlands and forests as outdoor classrooms. And the Rice Rivers Center has established ongoing partnerships with numerous federal and state agencies, providing our students with access to professional networks and collaborative research opportunities.

What are you most excited about as you step into this new role?

I've benefited immensely from my association with field stations, including the Rice Rivers Center, and I've witnessed how transformative research, teaching and outreach are in this context, particularly for students. I'm most excited about bringing the immersive experiences of VCU's field station to more students, researchers and community partners. Field stations often provide career-shaping - even life-changing - experiences and opportunities that students won't find anywhere else.

What are some of your goals for the center within the next five to 10 years?

Three primary goals come to mind:

• Strengthening the Rice Rivers Center identity as an international leader in environmental and ecological research.
• Providing more students with outdoor training and learning opportunities.
• Catalyzing interdisciplinary research and instruction.

We are well on our way to achieving international recognition in several areas of scholarship. And now, with comprehensive infrastructure, established partnerships and engaged faculty and students, the Rice Rivers Center is poised to lead and grow in several emergent research areas.

Tell us about how student and faculty engagement fit in.

I'd like to see more students from across VCU's campus and beyond take courses and conduct research at the Rice Rivers Center. As a first step, the center will offer an inaugural summer session in 2026, with course offerings in the sciences, arts and humanities. Students and faculty from across these disciplines will learn from one another through group activities, including joint seminars and hikes that consider historical, cultural and ecological interactions on the center's landscape.

We also hope to increase faculty engagement. To do so, we've released our first solicitation for grant proposals that will creatively leverage the ecosystems, data resources and research infrastructure of the Rice Rivers Center to develop sustained teaching, training and research opportunities that engage students.

How do you hope to strengthen the field station's ties to the larger scientific community?

Strong ties are crucial because they enrich research impact and provide students and faculty with professional networking opportunities.

• First, partners like the Rice Rivers Center must provide a service, data or expertise that advances the goals of the broader scientific community in ways that would not otherwise be possible. For example, the center's tidal freshwater wetland is ecologically rare and serves as a unique data point in global studies.
• Second, field stations have to be outstanding partners, generously providing data and expertise.
• Third, leadership and vision are crucial. Good collaborators step up, take initiative and bring creative ideas to the table, and they identify how the integration of data, people, ideas and resources will create something new, meaningful and unique.

At the Rice Rivers Center, we'll continue to pursue partnerships with the larger scientific community and welcome the community's engagement.