Brian Helmuth

Brian Helmuth holds a joint appointment between the School of Public Policy and Urban Affairs and the Department of Marine and Environmental Sciences, based at Northeastern’s Marine Science Center in Nahant. His research and teaching focus on predicting the likely ecological impacts of climate change on coastal ecosystems, and on the people who rely on them for their well-being. His lab applies a wide range of approaches, including the development and deployment of novel sensors, physiological and ecological experimentation to measure the vulnerability of key marine organisms, and the mapping of these vulnerabilities to inform marine spatial planning. He works collaboratively with the Cognitive Laboratory of Environment and Arts Research, a team of psychologists, architects, and visual artists to explore how people perceive the world around them, and how this influences their engagement in conservation. His lab also works closely with informal educators such as the Museum of Science, Boston to explore climate adaptation strategies using community scientists.

The Helmuth lab works collaboratively with other scientists from across the globe in places such as Argentina; China; Hong Kong; Iraq; Israel; Italy; Portugal; and the U.K. He serves as a science advisor to ocean explorer Fabien Cousteau, and is deeply involved in his efforts to build Proteus, the International Space Station of the Ocean. Helmuth currently serves as an author on the 5th US National Climate Assessment, and is past Chair of the National Sea Grant Advisory Board.