Dr. Brian Cumming

Biography

Brian Cumming serves as the Department Head and a Professor in the Department of Biology at Queen's University. His primary research interests lie in paleolimnology and aquatic ecology. He focuses on assessing natural and human-induced environmental changes over decades to millennia, investigating how ecological shifts occur in lakes due to both climatic events and anthropogenic stressors such as nutrient enrichment and acidic deposition. His research also encompasses understanding the distribution of organisms and reconstructing past ecological communities by utilizing the sedimentary record of lakes. This work contributes to effective management strategies for aquatic systems by providing insights into how lakes have transformed over time. As an educator, Cumming emphasizes an interdisciplinary approach in his teaching, integrating various techniques and disciplines while promoting critical thinking and hands-on activities, including field work. He teaches topics ranging from freshwater ecology, community ecology, and limnology to graduate statistics, with a focus on long-term environmental change and data analysis.

Research Interests