Rate My Professor Theresa Ong

Theresa Ong is Assistant Professor of Environmental Studies at Dartmouth College. She holds a B.A. from Williams College, an M.S. from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, and a Ph.D. from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. Ong is an agroecologist who integrates theoretical models with empirical studies in agricultural systems to investigate how intricate interactions between the environment, organisms, and human activities shape food production and ecosystem stability. Her research centers on biocomplexity—encompassing spatial, temporal, and species diversity—and its influence on the resilience of agricultural systems to ecological disturbances and political changes. Specific research interests include urban agriculture, agroforestry, biological control, critical transition theory, socio-ecological modeling, biocomplexity, and spatio-temporal synchrony. Through the Ong Lab at Dartmouth, she examines complexity in coupled human-natural systems, such as agriculture and urban environments, to promote sustainable practices.

Ong has authored numerous peer-reviewed publications in leading journals. Key works include 'Momentum for agroecology in the USA' with Roman-Alcalá et al. (Nature Food, 2024), 'Ecological complexity and avoiding pest resurgence: intuitions from mathematical ecology' with Vandermeer (Agroecology and Sustainable Food Systems, 2023), 'Rarity Begets Rarity: Social and Environmental Drivers of Rare Organisms in Cities' with Lin et al. (Ecological Applications, 2022), 'Agroecological transitions: A mathematical perspective on a transdisciplinary problem' with Liao (Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems, 2020), 'Huffaker revisited: Spatial heterogeneity and the coupling of ineffective agents in biological control' with Allen and Vandermeer (Ecosphere, 2018), and 'Coupling unstable agents in biological control' with Vandermeer (Nature Communications, 2015). In 2021, she received the Ecological Society of America Excellence in Ecology (EEE) Scholars award. Ong contributes to community outreach and sustainable agriculture at the Dartmouth Organic Farm and leads projects on agroforestry transitions.