Thomas S. Bianchi is an

oceanographer Oceanography (), also known as oceanology, sea science, ocean science, and marine science, is the scientific study of the ocean, including its physics, chemistry, biology, and geology. It is an Earth science, which covers a wide range of top ...

and

biogeochemist Biogeochemistry is the scientific discipline that involves the study of the chemical, physical, geological, and biological processes and reactions that govern the composition of the natural environment (including the biosphere, the cryosphere, ...

. He is currently a Distinguished Professor, the Jon and Beverly Thompson Endowed Research Chair of Geological Sciences at the

University of Florida The University of Florida (Florida or UF) is a public university, public land-grant university, land-grant research university in Gainesville, Florida, United States. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida and a preem ...

, and

Editor-in-chief An editor-in-chief (EIC), also known as lead editor or chief editor, is a publication's editorial leader who has final responsibility for its operations and policies. The editor-in-chief heads all departments of the organization and is held accoun ...

of the journal ''Marine Chemistry''.

Early life and education

Bianchi was born in 1956 in Richmond Hill, New York, and moved to Holbrook in eastern Long Island where he stayed through his early college years. As a child, he was very interested in basketball, largely influenced by his uncle,

Al Bianchi Alfred A. Bianchi (March 26, 1932 – October 28, 2019) was an American professional basketball player, coach, general manager, consultant, and scout. Early years Nicknamed "Blinky", he attended P.S. 4 elementary school and graduated from Long ...

, who was a professional basketball player. Bianchi has played drums through much of his life, and became interested in oceanography very early on. He earned his Ph.D. from

University of Maryland The University of Maryland, College Park (University of Maryland, UMD, or simply Maryland) is a public land-grant research university in College Park, Maryland, United States. Founded in 1856, UMD is the flagship institution of the Univ ...

in 1987.

Research and career

Bianchi has been a professor at the University of Florida since 2013. Before joining UF, he held full professor positions at

Tulane University The Tulane University of Louisiana (commonly referred to as Tulane University) is a private research university in New Orleans, Louisiana, United States. Founded as the Medical College of Louisiana in 1834 by a cohort of medical doctors, it b ...

and

Texas A&M University Texas A&M University (Texas A&M, A&M, TA&M, or TAMU) is a public university, public, Land-grant university, land-grant, research university in College Station, Texas, United States. It was founded in 1876 and became the flagship institution of ...

. The main focus of his work has been the movement of organic matter, particularly as it interacts with changes in rivers, estuaries, and the ocean. His research team uses chemical biomarkers and other molecular tools from microbial ecology, organic geochemistry, and isotope geochemistry to explore carbon cycling in aquatic environments.

Awards and recognition

*Edward P. Bass Distinguished Visiting Environmental Scholar, Yale Institute of Biospheric Studies, Yale University,2023, *Fellow of the American Geophysical Union for his exceptional contributions in his respective field of Earth and space sciences, 2019. *Qilu Friendship Award, People's Government of Shandong Province, China, 2018. * Fellow of the

Geochemical Society The Geochemical Society is a nonprofit scientific organization founded to encourage the application of chemistry to solve problems involving geology and cosmology. The society promotes understanding of geochemistry through the annual Goldschmidt Co ...

and the

European Association of Geochemistry The European Association of Geochemistry (EAG) is a pan-European organization founded to promotes geochemical research. The EAG organizes conferences, meetings and educational courses for geochemists in Europe, including the Goldschmidt Conference w ...

, 2017. * Fellow of the

Association for the Sciences of Limnology and Oceanography The Association for the Sciences of Limnology and Oceanography (ASLO), formerly known as the Limnological Society of America and the American Society of Limnology and Oceanography, is a scientific society established in 1936 with the goal of advan ...

, 2017. * Fellow of the

American Association for the Advancement of Science The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) is a United States–based international nonprofit with the stated mission of promoting cooperation among scientists, defending scientific freedom, encouraging scientific responsib ...

, 2013.

Personal life

Bianchi is the son of Rita and Tom Bianchi and is married to Jo Ann Bianchi (artist). They have a son, Christopher T. Bianchi (video artist).

Books

*''Gulf of Mexico: Origin, Waters, and Biota (Vol. 5, Chemical Oceanography)'' (published in 2019 by Texas A&M University Press) *''Deltas and Humans: A Long Relationship Now Threatened by Global Change''. Oxford University Press. 2016. . *''Biogeochemical Dynamics at Major River-Coastal Interfaces: Linkages with Global Change''. Cambridge University Press. 2014. . *''Chemical Biomarkers in Aquatic Ecosystems''. Princeton University Press. 2011. . *''Hypoxia in the Northern Gulf of Mexico''. Springer. 2010. . *''Biogeochemistry of Estuaries''. Oxford University Press. 2006. . *''Biogeochemistry of Gulf of Mexico Estuaries''. John Wiley & Sons. 1998. .

Selected publications

Tom Bianchi has published over 300 articles. * * * * * * * * * * *

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Bianchi, Thomas S 1956 births Living people University of Florida faculty American oceanographers Fellows of the American Geophysical Union Fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science