Meet Dr. Can Chen

Dr. Can Chen

📍Fuzhou, China
📧 canchen@fafu.edu.cn
🔗 Visiting Scholar
📝 Regional Geography | Coastal Forest and Environment | Urban Ecological Forestry

“You could start from your interests and then slowly to find the connections between your interests and the program or the society”, says Dr. Can Chen. Dr. Chen describes his academic career as a natural, gradual, and outward journey – a natural extension of his personal interests, gradual incorporation into his career planning, and an outward vision that desires to benefit the society at large. To see just how this journey unfolds for Dr. Chen, read along!

We interviewed Dr. Can Chen, a visiting scholar to our Department of Forest Sciences and Conservation from December 2018 – December 2019, to talk about his experience abroad at UBC.

Dr. Chen got his Ph.D. in 2012 from Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University (FAFU), with a background in Coastal Forest and Environment. That same year, he received funding from the China Scholarship Council (CSC) to go visit the Iowa State University, and there he spent a year at their Department of Natural Resources and Environment. In November of 2013, having wrapped up his stay at the Iowa State University, he went back to China and resumed his position at FAFU as a lecturer. While fulfilling his teaching duties, Dr. Chen was also keen on contributing to different publications. His specific research interest is in regional geography, coastal forest and environment, and urban ecological engineering. And his publications encompass a wide range of issues, including that of maize and rice production, national forest parks, ecological engineering, and many more.

This brings us to December 2018. Following his 2012 visit to Iowa State, Dr. Chen once again received funding from the CSC, and this time, to the University of British Columbia. Here, he was under the supervision of Professor Cindy Prescott, Professor Guangyu Wang, and Dr. Suzie Lavallee. During his one year stay, he mostly did research in forest nutrients recycling, national park development, soil science, forest ecology, as well as some teaching opportunities.

Now in 2020, he returned back to FAFU and resumed his position as an associate professor. His current main duties include graduate student supervision, teaching and training responsibilities, fieldwork, and research. He has recently become a technology server for a county in Southeast Fujian in China.

Looking back at his time at UBC, Dr. Chen said that what he learned during his stay at UBC greatly impacted his career development. On one level, this experience highlights for Dr. Chen the importance of teamwork and the ability to work both independently and collaboratively. On a deeper level though, this experience motivates him to integrate his research and teaching more closely and to continue findings ways to benefit society at large through his research.

UBC prides itself on being an innovative, inspiring, top-ranking institute. It seeks to uphold values such as excellence, integrity, respect, academic freedom, and accountability – and this is made obvious in the diversity in both our faculty and student bodies. We are glad to hear that this translates. When asked about his impression of the UBC Faculty of Forestry, Dr. Chen complemented its learning and research environment. Overall, a very open-minded place, he said.

To all prospective visiting scholars, Dr. Chen stressed the importance of being independent in both their study and personal life. In terms of career planning, he advised others to first start from their interests and then slowly see how they can incorporate their interest into their career, only then does it make sense to start considering your potential contribution to the broader society. Start small, don’t rush; work your way up in a steady manner – is what he said.


Authors/Editors: Tiffany Ma and Xinxin Zhu
Photos from: Dr. Can Chen


Dr. Can Chen’s publications:

  • Chen C, Hong T, Lin Y, et al. Spatial variation of soil respiration in a coastal protection forest in southeastern China. Journal of Soils & Sediments, 2016:1-12.
  • Elly J L, Magdalena M K, Chen C, Chengzhen, W. Impacts of Salt Water Intrusion on Maize (Zea mays) and Rice (Oryza sativa) Production under Climate Change Scenarios in Bagamoyo District-Tanzania. Universal Journal of Agricultural Research, 2017, 5(2):148-158.
  • Lin Yongming, Cui Peng, Ge Yonggang, Chen Can, Wang Daojie, Wu Chengzhen, Li Jian, Yu Wei, Zhang Guangshuai, Lin Han.2014. The succession characteristics of soil erosion during different vegetation succession stages in dry-hot river valley of Jinsha River, upper reaches of Yangtze River.Ecological Engineering.
  • Lin H., Hong T., Wu C.Z.*,Chen C.2012. Monthly variation in litterfall and the amount of nutrients in an Aleurites montana plantation, Forestry Studies in China.
  • David K M, Elly J L, Chen C, Chengzhen Wu. Contribution of Tanzania Southern Highlands Forest Diversity to Household Income and Food Supplements: The Case of Mufindi District in Tanzania. Journal of Geography, Environment and Earth Science International, 2017,9(4):1-12.
  • Ligate, E., & Chen, C. 2019. Canonical Correlation Analysis across Vegetation and Soil Properties of the Disturbed and Undisturbed Coastal Forest Ecosystems. Advances in Research, 18(3): 1-14.
  • Ligate, E. J., and Wu, C and Chen, C. 2018, Investigation of tropical coastal forest regeneration after farming and livestock grazing exclusion. Journal of Forestry Research. J. For. Res. 30 (5):1873–1884.
  • Ligate, E. J., Chen, C. and Wu, C. Evaluation of tropical coastal land cover and land use changes and their impacts on ecosystem service values. Ecosystem Health and Sustainability,2018, 4(8), 188–204.
  • Ligate, E. J., Chen, C. and Wu, C. Estimation of Carbon Stock in the Regenerating Tree Species of the Intact and Disturbed Forest Sites in Tanzania, International Journal of Environment and Climate Change, 2018,8 (2): 80-95.
  • Ligate, E. J., Chen, C. and Wu, C. Evaluation of Soil Fertility Status Based on CEC and Variation across Disturbed and Intact
  • Tropical Coastal Forests Sites in Tanzania. Asian. Journal of Environment and Ecology,2018, 6 (2): 1-12.
  • Ligate, E. J., Chen, C. and Wu, C. The Status of Forest Ecosystem Services and Their Management : The Case of Uzigua Forest Reserve in Tanzanian Coastal Forests. Natural Resources and Conservation, 2018,5 (2): 21–32.
  • Msola, D., Ligate, E. J, Chen, C. and Wu, C. Contribution of Tanzania Southern Highlands Forest Diversity to Household Income and Food Supplements: The Case of Mufindi District in Tanzania. Journal of Geography, Environment and Earth Science International, 2017,9(4), 1–12.
  • WANG Ying-zi, HONG Wei, WU Cheng-zhen, LIN Han, FAN Hai-lan, CHEN Can, LI Jian.2009.Variation of SPAD Values in Uneven-aged Leaves of Different Dominant Species in Castanopsis carlessi Forest in Lingshishan National Forest Park. Journal of Forestry Research.
  • Peng Cui, Yong-ming Lin, Can Chen.2012. Destruction of vegetation due to geo-hazards and its environmental impacts in the Wenchuan earthquake areas. Ecological Engineering.