Rate My Professor Ryan Heneghan

Dr. Ryan Heneghan is a Lecturer in Environmental Modelling and ARC Discovery Early Career Researcher Award (DECRA) Fellow in the School of Environment and Science at Griffith University, where he is affiliated with the Australian Rivers Institute. He earned his PhD in Applied Mathematics and Statistics from the University of Queensland in 2019. His career trajectory includes a postdoctoral research fellowship at the Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona from 2018 to 2020, a lectureship at Queensland University of Technology from 2020 to 2023, and a lectureship at the University of the Sunshine Coast from 2023 to 2024, prior to joining Griffith University in 2024. Heneghan employs applied mathematics and statistical modelling to investigate fundamental processes structuring marine ecosystems and to tackle broader environmental and ecological problems, providing new insights and improved management outcomes.

Heneghan's research involves constructing global marine ecosystem models to quantify the influences of climate change, human exploitation, extreme events, and conservation strategies on ocean biodiversity and productivity. Prominent publications encompass 'Next-generation ensemble projections reveal higher climate risks for marine ecosystems' (Nature Climate Change, 2021, 283 citations), 'Climate-driven zooplankton shifts cause large-scale declines in food quality for fish' (Nature Climate Change, 2023, 139 citations), 'From bacteria to whales: using functional size spectra to model marine ecosystems' (Trends in Ecology & Evolution, 2017, 290 citations), 'Global food insecurity and famine from reduced crop, marine fishery and livestock production due to climate disruption from nuclear war soot injection' (Nature Food, 2022, 254 citations), 'The potential impacts of climate change on agriculture and fisheries production in 72 tropical coastal communities' (Nature Communications, 2022, 113 citations), and 'The global ocean size-spectrum from bacteria to whales' (Science Advances, 2021, 126 citations). He participates in the FishMIP science coordination group, serves on the editorial board of PLOS Ecosystems, and has secured a $499,855 ARC DECRA grant to explore climate intervention effects on marine systems. Garnering over 2,447 citations, his contributions significantly shape understandings of climate vulnerabilities in marine environments and support sustainable fisheries management.