Jiangxiao Qiu, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Landscape Ecology School of Forest, Fisheries, and Geomatics Sciences Fort Lauderdale Research and Education Center
Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences
Jiangxiao Qiu is a rising star in the field of landscape ecology and ecosystem science. At the UF/IFAS Fort Lauderdale Research and Education Center, his innovative research endeavors to explain and predict how global environmental changes alter ecosystems and biodiversity and the consequences for ecosystem services – benefits people obtain from nature. His work informs how to enhance the resilience and sustainability of landscapes to support both people and nature.
In addition to authoring a book and five book chapters, Qiu has published 79 peer-reviewed journal articles, including 43 in the past five years. An additional 20 manuscripts he’s written are currently under review or being revised. His work has been cited more than 3,500 times.
“Jiangxiao has probably the strongest publication productivity I have seen in the natural sciences in my administrative career,” said Terrell Baker, director of the School of Forest, Fisheries, and Geomatics Sciences, Qiu’s academic home.
In 2024, Qiu was elected as an Ecological Society of America Early Career Fellow, a distinction recognizing his past contributions to ecological knowledge and applications and his promise for future contributions in the field. He also received one of the most prestigious awards for early-career scientists, selection as a Beijer Young Scholar by the Swedish Royal Academy of Sciences.
A highly successful grant writer and visionary scientist, Qiu has supported his research program by securing more than $6.3 million in competitive funding during the past five years. He serves as the lead principal investigator of two USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture Foundational and Applied Science grants funding a long-term field experiment of Florida subtropical grasslands to determine the effects of climate change and land-use intensification on ecosystem functions and services. He has shown unwavering dedication to his field and broader society, and his program has nurtured a number of graduate students, advancing their careers in academia and beyond.
“I believe that Dr. Qiu is on an upward trajectory to be a leading figure in his discipline at a relatively early stage, and his reputation and impact will certainly grow,” said Jack Rechcigl, the center’s director.