Bio:
David Velinsky, PhD, is a Professor in the Department of Biodiversity, Earth and Environmental Science at Drexel University and a senior scientist within the Patrick Center for Environmental Research at the Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University.
Professor Velinsky obtained his Bachelor of Science degree from the Florida Institute of Technology in Oceanography with a minor in Chemistry. He earned his doctoral degree from Old Dominion University in Chemical Oceanography. As part of his doctoral research, Velinsky explored the cycling of trace elements in coastal marshes of the Delaware Estuary for his dissertation. He then continued his studies as a postdoctoral research fellow at the College of Marine Studies, University of Delaware, and at the Geophysical Laboratory, Carnegie Institution of Washington. He used stable isotopes to study nutrient sources in anoxic environments around the world in locations such as the Black Sea and Framvaren Fjord in Norway.
Dr. Velinsky studies the movement and cycling of carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus in estuarine and freshwater environments in the mid-Atlantic region. His work focuses on water quality and wetland ecosystem services in the Delaware and Barnegat Bays.
Velinsky is the author of more than 65 peer-reviewed publications and is a highly regarded subject matter expert; he has delivered more than 70 presentations at local, national, and international scientific meetings. He is a member of the Toxics Advisory Committee and Advisory Committee on Climate Change at the Delaware River Basin Commission and a member of the Science Advisory Board for the State of New Jersey. In addition, he teaches courses on Oceanography, Environmental Chemistry, and Environmental Water Quality.