Dr. Garfield Kwan joins URI as an Assistant Professor of Fish Ecophysiology in the Department of Fisheries, Animal and Veterinary Science. Born and raised in Hong Kong, he completed his doctorate at Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California, San Diego. Dr. Kwan received the NSF Postdoctoral Research Fellowship (NOAA SWFSC), California Delta Science Fellowship (UC Davis), and Marie Skłodowska Curie Actions Postdoctoral Fellowship (University of Exeter). His research centers on ionic and acid-base regulation in aquatic organisms and how fish respond physiologically to aquaculture, wildfire runoff, and future ocean conditions.

Q. What first sparked your interest in your field?

A. Visiting the seafood stalls in Hong Kong sparked my curiosity in marine biology. The path forward was realized when I needed a job to pay for college tuition and ended up in a coral reef lab, and I learned I can get paid to be a fish nerd (via a PhD program).

What questions are you most excited to explore in your research?

So many questions, but the most pertinent one right now is addressing how to save fish from wildfire runoff. Aquaculture is an increasingly valuable resource to sustain global human populations, but many of these are vulnerable to deterioration in water quality such as during wildfire runoff events. Many migratory fishes are also endangered, and moreover susceptible to wildfire runoff as their migration overlaps with rainy seasons. I have recently developed a method to prevent mass mortality, and I hope to leverage it to safeguard aquacultures and protect vulnerable wild fish populations around the world.

How would you explain your research to someone outside your field?

I save fish so I can eat fish.

What will you be teaching at URI?

Fish physiology in the fall, finfish aquaculture in the spring. Perhaps I can also develop a new course in science communication.

What are you reading, watching, or listening to lately?

The last three books that I read are Project Hail Mary, There is No Antimemetics Division, and Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy.

Is there anything else you’d like the URI community to know about you?

I chose my own name based on the Garfield comics. In fact, that’s how I learned English. I now lead a team of artists and scientists to use comics to translate science to the public audience. We’ve published a standalone book that’s since been sold out, and we are currently looking for a new publisher for our next edition. Please see our work at Squidtoons Comic (www.squidtoons.com).