GCC Welcomes Three New Faculty Affiliates this Spring
April 20, 2026
The Global Change Center is excited to welcome a new group of faculty affiliates whose work spans a range of disciplines and research interests. These scholars bring fresh perspectives and innovative approaches to addressing some of the most pressing environmental and societal challenges of our time. We’re excited to have them join the GCC community and contribute to this important work.
Join us in welcoming these new faculty affiliates to the GCC community!
Dr. Hannes De Deurwaerder
Forest Resources and Environmental Conservation
Dr. Hannes De Deurwaerder is an assistant professor of global change ecology in Virginia Tech’s Department of Forest Resources and Environmental Conservation, where he studies how plant communities respond to climate change and human pressure. His interdisciplinary research bridges plant physiology and ecology, connecting how individual plants function to broader population and ecosystem outcomes. By examining how different plant strategies influence competition, invasiveness, and species coexistence, De Deurwaerder sheds light on the forces reshaping forest ecosystems. A central focus of his work is the ecology of climbing plants, particularly native and invasive temperate lianas, with the goal of identifying the mechanisms behind liana invasion and spread to help protect native species and inform forest management in a changing world.
Dr. Enakshi Ghosh
Entomology
Dr. Enakshi Ghosh is an assistant professor in Virginia Tech’s Department of Entomology whose research examines how herbivorous insects interact with and adapt to their environments. Ghosh’s lab studies the ecological and evolutionary forces shaping insect behavior, physiology, and immune function, with particular attention to how defensive traits evolve in complex, multitrophic systems. This work explores how insects use environmental cues to anticipate threats, prepare for stress, and balance the costs of maintaining defenses. By linking fundamental questions in ecology and evolution with applied challenges, Ghosh’s research contributes to sustainable pest management strategies and supports long‑term insect conservation amid global environmental change.
Dr. Admin Husic
Civil and Environmental Engineering
Dr. Admin Husic is an associate professor in Virginia Tech’s Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering and the Occoquan Watershed Monitoring Laboratory whose work examines how human activities and climate change reshape the movement of water, sediment, and nutrients across landscapes. Using a highly interdisciplinary approach, Husic’s research group combines high‑frequency aquatic sensors with long‑term environmental monitoring to track critical water quality conditions in real time. The team translates these complex data into actionable insight using numerical models, geochemical tracers, and machine learning, including explainable artificial intelligence, to better predict watershed behavior and pollution transport. Centered on the intersection of global change, hydrology, and human‑altered landscapes, this work aims to support more equitable and secure access to clean water.
