Bob Chen is a professor of marine biogeochemistry and environmental systems science and the Interim Dean of the School for the Environment at the University of Massachusetts Boston. After a postdoctoral fellowship at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, he has remained at UMass Boston since 1993. His research interests include carbon cycling in coastal waters, contaminants in urban harbors, and the application of coastal sensor networks to societal needs. He is also dedicated to ocean and environmental science education and outreach at the local, national and international levels.
He led the Watershed-Integrated Sciences Partnership (WISP; wisp.umb.edu), COSEE OCEAN (coseeocean.net), Boston Science Partnership, Boston Energy in Science Teaching (bostonscience.net), and NSF IGERT Coasts and Communities (https://www.umb.edu/igert) projects. His work on Informal Science Education includes Innovative Engagement: A Mass Transit Model for Informal Science Learning (sciencetogo.org) and Cool Science: Art as a Vehicle for Intergenerational Learning (www.coolscience.net). He has published over 70 peer-reviewed articles in the area of coastal observations, carbon cycling, contaminant distribution and fate, and environmental education.
He received his A.B. from Harvard University in Chemistry and Physics and his Ph.D. in Oceanography from Scripps Institution of Oceanography. He received his A.B. from Harvard University in Chemistry and Physics and his Ph.D. in Oceanography from Scripps Institution of Oceanography.