Name: Arbi James Sarkissian

Qualifications: PhD

Position: Lecturer in Forestry and Environmental Management at Bangor College China

Email Address: a.sarkissian@bangor.ac.uk

Mob: 18692263026

OVERVIEW

I am an interdisciplinary scholar with an interest in critically examining ways towards improving institutions to facilitate more resilient social-ecological systems. I was awarded a PhD at Bangor University’s School of Natural Sciences in 2015. My thesis explored contract options in payments for ecosystems services schemes for enhancing tree diversity in reforestation efforts in Lebanon. As an environmental economist, my research interests include valuation and policy within the scope of forestry and nature conservation. I am currently a lecturer in Forestry and Environmental Management at Bangor University’s Bangor College China IBCC), Changsha, Hunan province. Since embarking as a lecturer in forestry and environmental management at the Bangor College China, I have gained considerable interest in the fields of restoration ecology, forest and woodland management, pollution remediation (e.g. phytoremediation), and more recently, pedagogy. I am currently applying for the Senior HEA Fellowship given my leadership role at BCC. I also have a great deal of interest in gauging perceptions of Chinese students towards cross-cultural degree programmes such as BCC as a potential research project.

TEACHING

I lead two modules, Environmental Management and Conservation (DCC-1005, 20c, year 1) and Water, Air and Soil Pollution (DCC-2001, 20c, year 2) and co-lead another two modules with my colleague Mykola Kutia; Forest Ecology (DCC-3003, 10c, year 3) and Forest Ecosystem Services (DCC-3004, 20c, year 3). I also have made substantial contributions to DCC-2002: GIS and Research Methods (lectures, workshops, and assessments) and DCC-1001: Academic Tutorials and Key Skills (workshop and assessment design). Additionally, I contribute in any possible to the needs of my colleagues for virtually all modules in our programme. My aim is to ensure that the programme meets all Quality Assurance standards and that our colleagues are well-equipped in meeting these.

RESEARCH INTEREST

My research interest spans a wide range of disciplines and sub-disciplines. My colleague (Mykola) and I have been working with prominent scholars at CSUFT in a variety of research projects that are part of a larger collaborative, BCC-CSUFT Joint Research Centre. Key scholars from BU (Dr Andy Smith, Dr Tim Pagella, Prof Morag McDonald) have been working together with Prof Liu Shuguang at CSUFT’s Key State Laboratory on research ranging from modelling of climate change, waterbodies, and land-use at regional and national scales in China. Unfortunately, our research prospects were interrupted by Covid-19 in the last year and a half, but we are optimistic that they will once again be reignited. My role will continue as liaison in fostering these collaborations between multiple stakeholders, preparing proposals, and contributing to grant writing.

PUBLICATIONS

Journals: Jiang, Fugen; Kutia, Mykola; Sarkissian, A.J.; Lin, Hui; Long, Jiangping; Sun, Hua; Wang, Guangxing. 2020. "Estimating the Growing Stem Volume of Coniferous Plantations Based on Random Forest Using an Optimized Variable Selection Method" Sensors 20, no. 24: 7248. https://doi.org/10.3390/s20247248

Myroniuk, V. Kutia, M. Sarkissian A.J. Bilous, A. and Liu, S. 2020. “Regional-Scale Forest Mapping Over Fragmented Landscapes Using Global Forest Products and Landsat Time Series Classification.” Remote Sensing 12(1): 187; DOI: 10.3390/rs12010187

Feng, S. Liu, S. Huang, Z. Jing, L. Zhao, M. Peng, X. Yan, W. Wu, Y. Lv, Y. Smith, A.R. McDonald, M.A. Patil, S.D. Sarkissian, A.J. Shi, Z. Xia, J. and Ogbodo, U.S. 2018. “Inland water bodies in China: Features discovered in the long-term satellite data.” Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 116 (51) 25491-25496; DOI: 0.1073/pnas.1910872116

Kutia, M. Myroniuk, V. and Sarkissian A.J. 2018. “Evaluation of Sentinel-2 composited mosaics and Random Forest method for tree species distribution mapping in suburban areas of Kyiv City, Ukraine.” IOP Conference Series EES (Xiamen, Fujian Province; 16-17 June); DOI: 10.1088/issn.1755-1315

Sarkissian, A.J., R.M. Brook, S.N. Talhouk, S.N., and N.J. Hockley. 2017. “Asset-building payments for ecosystem services: assessing landowner perceptions of reforestation incentives in Lebanon.” Forest Systems 26(2); DOI: 10.5424/fs/2017262-10325

Sarkissian, A.J., S.N. Talhouk, R.M. Brook, and N.J. Hockley. 2017. “Using stakeholder preferences to select native tree species for reforestation in Lebanon.” New Forests 49: 637; DOI: 10.1007/s11056-018-9648-2

Sarkissian, A.J. Exploring Payments for Ecosystem Services in the Context of Native Tree Planting in Lebanon, 2015 (March), Bangor University, Wales, United Kingdom (unpublished doctoral thesis)

Sarkissian, A.J. Chapter 1: Introduction in Batal, M. & S.N. Talhouk (Eds.). 2016. Food and Health in Rural Lebanon: Options to Improve Dietary Diversity, Food Security, Livelihoods, and Ecosystem Management. American University of Beirut Press (pending publication)

Other publications:

Yazbeck, M., El-Zein, M., Slim, K., Sarkissian, A.J., and Talhouk, S.N. 2014. Lebanon’s Native Trees & Shrubs: An Ethnobotanical Pictorial. American University of Beirut Press, Beirut, Lebanon

Sarkissian, A.J., Slim, K., and Talhouk, S.N. AUB-NCC Report on Power of Planting Program: Results from Three Seasons of Community Tree Planting and Seedling Production at AREC. 2010 (unpublished report)

Peer review:

Two manuscripts accepted for publication in the journal Ambio 

Links: Please see my profile on ResearchGate: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Arbi-Sarkissian/research?ev=prf_act