Ben Vierra

Ben manages NEON personnel, activities, and research infrastructure in the Pacific Northwest (Domain 16), operating out of a field office in Vancouver, WA. NEON’s Domain 16 research activities are focused on the Wind River Experimental Forest (WREF), Martha Creek (MART), Abby Road (ABBY), and McRae Creek (MCRA) study sites. Ben also serves as a regional point of contact for site hosts, researchers, and other interested parties. 

Ben has held his current role since fall 2016. However, Ben started with the NEON study in the spring of 2013 as a field ecologist at Domain 01 (New England). Later, Ben was able to transfer to Domain 16. Ben enjoyed the challenge of being at “ground zero” at each of these Domains to help organize their initial operations. Prior to NEON, Ben also held a variety of field-oriented forest ecology and forestry-related positions in the Southeast, Pacific Northwest, New England, and Alaska. Ben holds a B.S. in Environmental Science from Willamette University and an M.S. in Natural Resources from North Carolina State University. He also holds professional certification as an Ecologist from the Ecological Society of America.

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