Forests in a changing world
Forest ecology, global change, and ecosystem responses to environmental stress.
POSTDOCTORAL RESEARCHER · NINGBO UNIVERSITY
Md Sohel RanaPh.D. in Forestry
Understanding forests.
From roots to ecosystems.
I study how forests, soils, and plants respond to environmental change—connecting nutrient cycling with plant adaptation and ecosystem function.
School of Geography and Remote Sensing
Ningbo University, China
FIELD / LAB / ECOLOGYFOREST ECOLOGY✳PLANT ECOPHYSIOLOGY✳SOIL BIOGEOCHEMISTRY
01 / RESEARCH
The connections
beneath the canopy.
Combining field observations, controlled experiments, and soil and plant analyses to understand ecological responses across scales.
Soils & nutrient cycling
Acid deposition, soil acidification, phosphorus dynamics, and rhizosphere microbial communities.
Plant strategies & adaptation
Water–nutrient interactions, root functional traits, and plant ecophysiological responses.
02 / PUBLICATIONS
Research, in print.
Peer-reviewed journal articles
2021–2026
03 / ACADEMIC JOURNEY
A path through
ecological research.
Research & teaching
Postdoctoral Researcher
Ningbo University
School of Geography and Remote SensingPostdoctoral Researcher
South China Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences
Acid deposition, phosphorus dynamics, and microbial communitiesResearch Assistant
Henan Agricultural University · College of Forestry
Research Intern → Research Assistant
Bangladesh Agricultural Research Institute
Plant Breeding and Genetics · Low-pH and low-phosphorus experimentsTeaching Assistant
IUBAT University · Agricultural Sciences
Plant physiology practicals; support for plant ecology, crop climatology, and environmental scienceEducation
Ph.D. in Forestry
Henan Agricultural University, China
M.Sc. in Forestry
Henan Agricultural University, China
B.Sc. in Agriculture
International University of Business Agriculture and Technology, Bangladesh
AWARDS & FELLOWSHIPS
Postdoctoral Fellowship, South China Botanical Garden, CAS 2024–2026
Henan Provincial Government Doctoral Scholarship 2019–2023
Henan Provincial Government Master’s Scholarship 2016–2019
04 / COLLABORATIVE PROJECTS
Ecology in practice.
Contributions as a project participant
Forest resilience & ecosystem services
Sustainability of Kenyan forests and livelihoods, informed by subtropical forest ecosystem services in southern China. National Key R&D Program.
International forest ecosystem cooperation
NSFC Key International Cooperation Project on Kenyan forest sustainability and the mechanisms maintaining subtropical forest ecosystem services.
Monitoring forest quality in Guangdong
Technical services for evaluating targeted forest quality improvement. Guangdong Provincial Forestry Survey and Planning Institute.
Science & technology industrialization
Henan Provincial Government · GTH[2020]No.17
05 / ONGOING RESEARCH ACTIVITIES
Questions taking shape.
Research plans, working notes, and figures
Rainfall timing and the fate of retained nitrogen in warming forests
Project summary
This project will test whether nitrogen retained during dry periods remains available to forest plants or is released during subsequent rainfall pulses. It will combine controlled rainfall timing, high-frequency gas measurements, nitrogen isotope tracing, and a model that tracks both present conditions and antecedent drought. The central comparison will hold cumulative water input constant while changing its timing. This separates a change in rainfall sequence from a change in total water supply.
Central comparisonSame cumulative water input. Different rainfall timing.
Research notes & developing figures
06 / FIELD NOTES & EVENTS
An academic record, as it unfolds.
Meetings, conferences, field visits, and milestones
Career milestone
Joined Ningbo University
On August 10, 2026, I joined the School of Geography and Remote Sensing at Ningbo University as a Postdoctoral Researcher.
Ningbo, China07 / GALLERY
Life in the field.
Moments worth keeping.
Field sampling, people, and achievements.
A short story beneath every photo.
The photo collection starts here.
Photos will appear here with short captions as they are added.
ACADEMIC SERVICE
Contributing to the research community.
Journal referee for:
Plant and Cell Physiology · Plants · Horticulturae · PeerJ · Heliyon · Forests · Agricultural Water Management · Agronomy · Biology
08 / GET IN TOUCH
Let’s connect
through research.
For academic inquiries and research discussions.
rana@nbu.edu.cn ↗
School of Geography and Remote Sensing
Ningbo University · Ningbo, China