The College of Humanities and Sciences is pleased to announce the appointment of Chris Gough, Ph.D., to the position of director of the VCU Rice Rivers Center which is part of the School of Life Sciences and Sustainability. Dr. Gough begins his new position on July 1.

A biology professor and graduate program director in the School of Life Sciences and Sustainability, Gough’s research focuses on how disturbance, vegetation structure and age, and climate affect forest and wetland ecosystems. He has taught, collaborated with artists, supported student training, and conducted extensive research at the VCU Rice Rivers Center, including a project that investigates methane and carbon dioxide fluxes in the site’s restored wetland. As an Ameriflux Core Site, the VCU Rice Rivers Center carbon flux tower freely provides data to educators and researchers worldwide. 

Gough is uniquely positioned to lead the VCU Rice Rivers Center; his career has spanned roles as field-station mentor,  instructor, and researcher, including a 23-year residence as research faculty at the University of Michigan Biological Station, one of the nation’s largest and longest running field stations. He has served as primary mentor to more than 75 undergraduate, post-bacc, graduate, postdoctoral and K-12 educator mentees conducting research, teaching, or outreach activities at university field stations, including the Harvard Forest, the Cornell Biological Field Station and UVA’s Blandy Experimental Farm. Through university-wide student and faculty engagement, and by leveraging its world-class infrastructure, expansive networks, and ecological assets, we are confident that the VCU Rice Rivers Center will achieve national prominence in research, instruction, and outreach under Dr. Gough's leadership.

Gough has received grants from the National Science Foundation, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, the U.S. Department of Energy, and the Dominion Energy Charitable Foundation. He has published more than 135 scientific papers in journals that include Nature, the Proceedings of the National Academies of Science, Ecology, and Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment. He received the 2025 Distinguished Scholar Award from the College of Humanities and Sciences.

The college thanks Greg Garman, Ph.D., the outgoing director of the VCU Rice Rivers Center, for his leadership over the years. We are tremendously grateful for his service.  

Please join us in welcoming Chris to this new position.