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Scott Ensign, Ph.D.

500 500 Stroud Water Research Center
Scott Ensign, Ph.D.

Adjunct Research Scientist

Contact

ensign@stroudcenter.org

ORCID | Google Scholar | ResearchGate | CV

Interests and Expertise

Scott Ensign is an ecosystem ecologist working to discover how plants, animals, and microbes interact within rivers and how the results of those processes influence how people and society interact with rivers. In collaboration with his colleagues, he makes biogeochemical measurements, performs experiments, and interprets results using statistical models and analysis. Ensign is particularly interested in developing new measurement technologies for aquatic environments, exploring how sea level rise affects rivers, and implementing conservation techniques that improve ecological conditions and the utility people derive from freshwater ecosystems.

Education

  • Ph.D., ecology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
  • M.S., ecology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
  • B.A., environmental science, University of North Carolina at Wilmington.

Professional Experience

  • Adjunct research scientist, Stroud Water Research Center, 2026–present.
  • Vice president, assistant director, research scientist, Stroud Water Research Center, 2020–2026.
  • Assistant director, Stroud Water Research Center, 2018–2020.
  • Adjunct assistant professor, Marine, Earth, and Atmospheric Science Department, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina, 2013–2018.
  • Founder/CEO, Planktos Instruments, LLC, Morehead City, North Carolina, 2013–2018.
  • Founder/managing partner, Aquatic Analysis and Consulting, LLC, Wilmington, North Carolina, 2004–2017.
  • Research ecologist, National Research Program, United States Geological Survey, Reston, Virginia, 2010–2011.
  • Research technician III, Institute of Marine Science, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Morehead City, North Carolina, 2004–2005.
  • Research technician II, Institute of Marine Science, University of North Carolina at Wilmington, Wilmington, North Carolina, 1997–2002.

Publications

Interception of river sediment in estuaries revealed by microbial community source tracking

Kan, J., and S.H. Ensign. 2026. Estuaries and Coasts 49, 55.

Freshwater salinization syndrome is degrading streamwater quality in the National Capital Region national parks, USA

Myers, D.T., D. Oviedo-Vargas, S. Ensign, M. Daniels, J.P. Schmit, M. Peipoch, and J. Kan. 2025. Freshwater Science 54(1): 18–30.

A decision-support framework for evaluating riverine sediment influence on U.S. tidal wetlands

Halls, J.N., S.H. Ensign, and E.K. Peck. 2025. Remote Sensing 7(18): 3130.

Institute Profile: Stroud Water Research Center

Ensign, S.H. 2025. Limnology and Oceanography Bulletin 34(2): 37–64.

Concentration-discharge relationships of chlorophyll describe the origin and fluxes of river algae across ecoregions

Peipoch, M., M. Daniels, and S. Ensign. 2025. Freshwater Science 44(2): 143–158.

Whose Mud Is It? DNA Tracks Sediment Pollution in Chesapeake Bay

Stroud Center scientists used microbial DNA to trace sediment pollution in Maryland estuaries, helping managers target Chesapeake Bay restoration efforts more effectively.

Fair Winds and Following Seas to Our Assistant Director

Amidst the awakening spring blossoms, buzzing pollinators, and lengthening days, the Stroud Center bid bon voyage to one of its own.

The Surprising Journey of a House-Built Water Monitoring Tool

Tracking honeybee colony rhythms with the Mayfly Data Logger was just the first of many applications far beyond its original intent.

Protecting Our Waters Starts With This Definition

A new proposed rule would narrow the Waters of the United States definition, potentially removing protections from many streams and wetlands.

Small Streams Hold the Key to Healthy Rivers

New state water quality report confirms Stroud Center science: restoring healthy rivers demands upstream focus.

Open Source Hardware Solves Flood Monitoring Challenges

Scientists and engineers at Stroud Water Research Center have developed a compact, inexpensive, and rapidly deployable tool for measuring river floods.
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