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Chris Kucharik is an Assistant Professor of Agronomy and Environmental Studies. He grew up in southeastern Wisconsin and graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 1997 with a Ph.D. in Atmospheric Sciences (minor soil science). During his graduate studies, Chris participated in the BOReal Ecosystem-Atmosphere Study (BOREAS), an international field experiment that took place in the Canadian boreal forest. He helped design a high-resolution, two-band, ground-based remote-sensing instrument, called a Multiband Vegetation Imager - which allowed for advanced studies of forest canopy architecture and enabled for more accurate predictions of carbon cycling in high latitude ecosystems.

Currently, his research focuses on integrating field observations and numerical models of natural and managed ecosystems to better understand the influence of changing climate and land management on ecosystem services. Chris' interests include carbon cycling and sequestration in wetlands, prairie ecosystems, and agricultural landscapes, water quality, biofuels, and how crop yields are affected by climate change and farmer management. This work has been supported by a NASA Interdisciplinary Science (IDS) grant, through the DOE National Institute for Climate Change Research (NICCR), Madison Gas and Electric, S.C. Johnson, and a Wisconsin Focus on Energy grant.

Chris works closely with both undergraduate and graduate students on a variety of field research projects, with the goal of exposing students to field-based ecological research while integrating policy, land management, and natural sciences.

When Chris is not working, he enjoys spending time with his wife Amy, playing guitar, fishing, bowling, and working out.