Bing Lin

Position
STEP Ph.D. Student
Bio/Description

I am a fourth-year Ph.D. candidate under Dr. David Wilcove in the Program in Science, Technology, and Environmental Policy in the Princeton School of Public and International Affairs. My work focuses on the human dimensions of coral reef conservation, and currently, on the ways that nature-based tourism (e.g., recreational diving) might affect coastal reef ecosystems across various patterns of scale. 

More broadly, I am interested in interdisciplinary research at the nexus of conservation ecology, environmental policy, and applied behavioral science. My research aims to incite lasting behavior change in individuals and communities by integrating behavioral science insights into biodiversity conservation interventions. These efforts are guided by the question: How can we make the right thing to do the easy thing to do for stakeholders?

Prior to my Ph.D., I completed my undergraduate degree in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, with a certificate in Environmental Studies (Princeton University, Class of 2016). I spent a year on a teaching fellowship with Princeton in Asia in Bangsak, Thailand; a year conducting primate behavioral research in the Ethiopian highlands; and several months conducting coral reef ecological surveys in Dominica and hiking the Pacific Crest Trail through California, Oregon, and Washington.

Catch me for a hike, game of squash, round of Brazilian jiu-jitsu, or photographing local wildlife in my free time.

Selected Publications

Lin, B., Zeng, Y., Asner, G. P., & Wilcove, D. S. (2023). Coral reefs and coastal tourism in Hawaii. Nature Sustainability. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41893-022-01021-4

Lin, B. (2021). Close encounters of the worst kind: Reforms needed to curb coral reef damage by recreational divers. Coral Reefs, 40(5), 1429–1435. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00338-021-02153-3

Lin, B., Dietrich, M. L., Senior, R. A., & Wilcove, D. S. (2021). A better classification of wet markets is key to safeguarding human health and biodiversity. The Lancet Planetary Health, 5(6), e386–e394. https://doi.org/10.1016/S2542-5196(21)00112-1