Jon is a Professor of Earth, Geographic and Climate Sciences at the University of Massachusetts. He specializes in predicting how coastlines respond to the dual pressures of climate change and human development, focusing on factors like sea-level rise, storm patterns, and sediment supply. He is particularly interested in research that not only advances scientific understanding but also tackles societal challenges through strategic mitigative approaches. Currently Jon serves as the University Co-Director of the USGS Northeast Climate Adaptation Science Center and is a member of the Leadership Circle for the NSF Center for Braiding Indigenous Knowledges and Science. Jon received his PhD from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution Joint Program (MIT/WHOI) in Marine Geology and Geophysics, his M.S. in Applied Ocean Physics and Engineering (also in the MIT/WHOI Joint Program), and a B.S. in Civil and Environmental Engineering at Tufts University.