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Editorial Profiles

David Ainley, Editor-in-Chief

David Ainley has studied all aspects of marine ecosystems for more than 40 years, and is a world-recognized expert on Adélie penguins and upwelling-system bird-prey communities. David's extensive research work includes: studies of the distribution of birds and mammals at sea on the U.S. West Coast, in the Southern Ocean and in the eastern tropical Pacific; a multiyear effort to rehabilitate habitat and restore several diminished or extirpated populations of marine birds and mammals on the Farallon National Wildlife Refuge; studies to evaluate effects of power lines and other structures on endangered seabirds in Hawai'i; assessments of impacts on marine birds and mammals from oil spills in California, Alaska, and Antarctica; multidisciplinary physical and biological investigations of the ecology of polar and tropical marine communities; studies of impacts on marine mammals from human use of estuarine habitats; efforts to evaluate the suitability of sites for deposition of dredged materials. David has been on committees of the National Research Council to evaluate national environmental programs, was a member of the Marine Mammal Commission (Committee of Scientific Advisors) and state and international fisheries commissions, and has represented U.S. interests in various polar initiatives. He was a major player instituting the designation of the Ross Sea Region Marine Protected Area. David has published more than 200 papers in peer-reviewed scientific journals, as well as four books and two monographs, and he has written extensively in the popular scientific press. He serves as editor of Marine Ornithology, and is on Editorial Board of Waterbirds. He received a Ph.D. in animal behavior/ecology from Johns Hopkins University and a B.S. in biology from Dickinson College, and is a senior marine ecologist at H.T. Harvey & Associates.

Thierry Boulinier

Thierry's research focusses on spatial population ecology issues, on topics dealing with behavioural ecology, population dynamics, community ecology, immuno-ecology and disease ecology. He is notably working with colonial seabirds to explore processes involved in the evolutionary ecology of dispersal and of a transgenerational response to parasitism, the maternal transfer of antibodies, with implications from comparative immunology to conservation biology. He is currently leading two programs from the French Polar Institute (IPEV), one on black-legged kittiwakes and seabird ticks model systems, and one on the ecology of infectious agent circulation among south polar seabird populations. Key words: Seabird spatial population ecology, disease ecology, dispersal, evolutionary ecology of host-parasite interactions, immuno-ecology https://thierryboulinier.wordpress.com/

Alan Burger

Dr. Alan Burger is a wildlife consultant and adjunct professor in Biology at the University of Victoria in Canada. Born and raised in South Africa he was educated at the University of Cape Town culminating in a PhD based on research on sub-Antarctic Marion Island. He has lived in Canada since 1980 and has held academic positions at University of British Columbia, Memorial University in Newfoundland, Bamfield Marine Sciences Centre, and for the past 30 years as a lecturer and researcher at UVic. Most of his career has involved research and conservation of seabirds including studies at sea and at colonies – in temperate, tropical and polar regions. In the past 30 years his work focused on Marbled Murrelets in British Columbia and Alaska. He has published 2 books and over 130 peer-reviewed papers and book chapters. He is an Elected Member of the American Ornithologists Society and served as an associate editor for Auk (2002 - 2007). With Marine Ornithology he was book editor (2005 - 2010) and associate editor (2010 - present). He was chair of the Pacific Seabird Group in 1998 (on the executive committee 1997 - 1999) and coordinator of the PSG elections committee (2013-2017). In 2015 Alan received the Steve Cannings Award for Ornithology from the British Columbia Field Ornithologists.

Emily Choy

Dr. Emily Choy is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Biology at McMaster University. Dr. Choy’s research focuses on the direct and indirect effects of climate change and contaminants on Arctic seabirds. Her postdoctoral research used heart rate loggers and gps-accelerometers to examine the foraging energetics of black legged kittiwakes and thick-billed murres. She also used respirometry to examine heat stress in Arctic seabirds and the potential physiological effects of climate warming. Her MSc. research focused on northern fulmars as biovectors of marine contaminants and nutrients to coastal High Arctic ecosystems. She is the recipient of the 2023 Early Career Research Award from the Society of Canadian Ornithologists and several fellowships including the L’Oreal-UNESCO Women in Science PDF, Garfield-Weston Award for Northern Research, and a Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) PDF. She is a council member for the Association of Field Ornithologists. Keywords: seabirds, movement ecology, ecophysiology, ecotoxicology, thermal biology, polar research, biologgers, climate change.

Glenn Crossin

Professor, Department of Biology, Dalhousie University. I am an integrative biologist with strong interests in the physiological mechanisms that underlie important life history events in animals. My research spans the fields of comparative and evolutionary physiology, physiological ecology, behavioural ecology, aquatic and avian ecology, and conservation science. Research efforts are focused primarily (though not exclusively!) on freshwater and marine fish species, and on birds. Field and laboratory experiments are part of my approach, and electronic tracking is a useful tool in many of my research projects. By coupling tracking technologies with physiological sampling techniques, I examine how individual variation in physiological and endocrine systems relates to variation in animal movements, and how these carry over to affect reproductive investment and organismal fitness. Whenever possible, I also seek to apply these findings towards the conservation of bird and fish populations, with the aim of understanding (and hopefully predicting!) their response to environmental change. I also serve on the editorial board for the Royal Society's journal Biology Letters. www.evophys.ca

Peter Dann

Dr. Peter Dann is Research Director at Phillip Island Nature Parks (not-for-profit conservation organisation based in south-eastern Australia) which carries out investigations and manages Phillip Island’s significant populations of Little Penguins, Short-tailed Shearwaters, Hooded Plovers, Australian Fur seals and the Island's threatened species. He has published over 170 papers and book chapters mainly on seabirds and edited a book on penguin ecology and management. His main research interests are population regulation, demography, climate change, foraging ecology, mitigation of anthropogenic threat of seabirds, ecology of islands and the conservation of threatened species. He has a life-long commitment to science-based wildlife management and threatened species conservation and is a Board member of the World Seabird Union and co-chair of the scientific committee for the World Seabird Conference in Hobart in 2020. Publications: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Peter_Dann/contributions?ev=prf_act

Sébastien Descamps

I am a research scientist at the Norwegian Polar Institute in charge of the long-term seabird monitoring programs on Spitsbergen (Svalbard) and in Dronning Maud Land (Antarctica). My work examines factors that influence polar seabird life-history and population dynamics, with a main focus on the impact of climate warming. It is mostly based on long-term data and modelling but also tries to build bridges between spatial ecology, physiology and demography. Key-words: demographic modelling, population monitoring, life-history, Arctic, Antarctic https://www.npolar.no/en/people/sebastien.descamps/

Tony (A.W.) Diamond

Emeritus Professor, Atlantic Laboratory for Avian Research, University of New Brunswick, Fredericton, Canada. Tony came to Canada in 1983 after doctoral research on tropical seabirds in the Seychelles (Aldabra Atoll and Cousin Island) and the West Indies, on tropical forest birds in Kenya and the Caribbean, and four years at the University of Nairobi. In Canada he worked for the Canadian Wildlife Service (National Wildlife Research Centre) in Ottawa, modeling energy demands of seabirds at sea, assessing importance of Latin American countries to migratory songbirds, and impacts of acid rain, before taking charge of the Prairie and Northern Wildlife Research Centre in Saskatoon where he was involved in research on waterfowl and migratory songbirds. Helping to launch the Canadian Bird-Banding Atlas was a long-running project during those periods. Since moving to UNB in 1994 as research chair, his research has focused on understanding responses of birds to change in marine and forested environments. His seabird credentials began with a year on Skokholm Island (Wales) under Mike Harris, and range from studies of tropical seabirds in the 1970s to his current long-term work on population dynamics and diet of the seabird community on Machias Seal Island as a window into the complex changes underway in the marine ecosystem of the region. https://www.unb.ca/research/alar/index.html

Dan Esler

Dan Esler leads the Nearshore Marine Ecosystem Research Program at the Alaska Science Center of the US Geological Survey. Dan, his team, and many collaborators evaluate drivers of variation in nearshore marine systems, measuring linkages among physical properties, macroalgae, benthic invertebrates, and upper trophic levels including invertebrate predators, sea otters, and, of course, marine birds. Before working with USGS, Dan was a Research Associate at Simon Fraser University in British Columbia. Dan’s research has occurred along the eastern Pacific coast from Mexico to Alaska, and he has developed expertise in sea duck ecology, population dynamics, foraging ecology, habitat use, and physiology, all in the context of conservation applications. Dan has published over 100 peer-reviewed papers and was co-editor of the book Ecology and Conservation of North American Sea Ducks. https://www.usgs.gov/staff-profiles/daniel-esler

Peter Evans

Dr Peter Evans is Director of the national marine environmental research charity, Sea Watch Foundation and Honorary Senior Lecturer in the School of Ocean Sciences, University of Bangor Wales. He has >30 years postdoctoral research experience working on seabirds and marine mammals mainly in northern European waters, and was previously Secretary of the UK Seabird Group and editor of its journal “Seabird”. His research interests focus upon biotic and environmental determinants of spatio-temporal variation in distribution and abundance of these top predators, and the role of stressors on their population dynamics. Alongside research, he has championed citizen science, regularly involving >3,000 volunteers in surveys and monitoring to inform conservation & management, resulting in international conservation and outreach awards from UNEP/ASCOBANS and the European Cetacean Society. He has authored or edited twelve books mainly on marine mammals and birds, and >200 scientific publications. Keywords: Ecology, life history and conservation biology of seabirds & marine mammals https://www.marine-ecosystems.org.uk/Contact/MERP_Scientists/Evans

Nina Karnovsky

I am a Professor in the department of Biology of Pomona College. My research is focused on understanding how seabird distributions and diets are influenced by variations in prey availability. I use at-sea surveys, time depth records, diet samples and chemical analyses to test hypotheses about climate change and fisheries impacts. All of my research has taken place in the Polar Regions and the Pacific Ocean. My research group consists of undergraduate students and collaborators. https://research.pomona.edu/karnolab/

Michelle Kissling

Michelle Kissling is an independent scientist and PhD student at University of Montana. For 20+ years, she worked on threatened and endangered species science for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in Alaska. Her research interests include population dynamics and viability, statistical ecology with emphasis on integrated models and Bayesian inference, and development of predictive models for conservation and policy decisions, especially for marine birds and mammals. Her PhD research aims to improve forecasts of dynamics and viability of Brachyramphus murrelets by integrating movement, demography, and life history into population models and by optimizing a monitoring framework to reduce future uncertainties. Keywords: population dynamics, integrated modeling, predictive modeling, demography, seabirds, decision analysis

Ed Kroc

Ed is a statistician and Assistant Professor of Measurement, Evaluation, and Research Methodology at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, Canada. His theoretical work focuses mainly on (1) bridging the gap between optimal statistical methodology and applied "best"/convergent practice, and (2) developing new statistical tools for handling uncertainty due to various kinds of measurement error, in particular, measurement error induced by uncertain point observation. This occurs, for example, when the location of a seabird nest cannot be precisely pinpointed or when a species or sex classification cannot be definitively assigned to an individual observed in the field under uncontrolled conditions. His applied work focuses primarily on the urban ecology of gulls in North America, particularly along the Pacific coast. Ed is a founder and manager of the Salish Sea Urban Gull Monitoring Program, a year-round initiative that aims to track how the Glaucous-winged Gull in particular uses the urban centres of the Salish Sea (e.g., Vancouver CAN and Seattle USA) to live and reproduce. https://ekroc.weebly.com/salish-sea-urban-gull-monitoring-program

Kathy Kuletz

Kathy Kuletz is the Seabird Section Lead for Migratory Bird Management, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, in Anchorage, Alaska. Dr. Kuletz has studied seabird ecology and population trends in Alaska since 1976. Since 2007, she has been Principal Investigator for the seabird component of multiple marine ecosystem projects. As such, she has led studies of offshore seabird communities in the northern Gulf of Alaska, Bering Sea, Chukchi Sea, and Beaufort Sea, and continues to oversee colony-based studies conducted by MBM. She is the lead U.S. representative on the Circumpolar Seabird Group (an Arctic Council expert network) and often works with NOAA colleagues to address seabird bycatch issues. Her education includes a B.S. from California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, an M.S. from the University of California, Irvine, and a Ph.D. from the University of Victoria, British Columbia. Kathy has been involved with PSG since the 1970s, and has served as PSG Secretary and PSG Chair. Key words: Seabird ecology, offshore distribution, Alaska, Gulf of Alaska, Bering Sea, Chukchi Sea, Brachyramphus murrelets, Pigeon Guillemot Recovery, Pacific Arctic seabirds https://www.alaskasealife.org/gulfwatchblobvft_meetkathy
https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Kathy_Kuletz/research

Nina O'Hanlon

Nina is a Research Ecologist at the British Trust for Ornithology in the Wetland and Marine team. Her main research interests include seabird foraging ecology, movement behaviour and anthropogenic impacts on species and habitats, although she is fascinated by all aspects of ornithology. Nina is also a Research Associate at the Environmental Research Institute, University of the Highlands and Islands, where she was previously a post doc looking at the impact of oil and plastics on seabirds. Nina has a great interest, and love, of gulls after completing her PhD on spatial variation in Herring Gull foraging and movement ecology at the University of Glasgow.

Ingrid Pollet

Dr Ingrid Pollet moved to Canada in 1996 after receiving a degree in agronomy in France. Currently, she is a postdoctoral researcher at Acadia University. So far, her work focuses mainly on the foraging ecology and migration movements of Leach’s Storm-petrels, but also the impacts of various threats faced by this species, such as mercury contamination, and avian and mammalian predators. She can easily get enthusiastic about other seabird-related work. Recent projects she was involved with concerned long-tailed ducks in the Russian Arctic, and common eiders in the Bay of Fundy. She is the social media specialist for Marine Ornithology. Keywords: foraging, migration, toxicology, predation www.researchgate.net/profile/Ingrid-Pollet

Yan Ropert-Coudert

After a PhD and 10 years at the Japanese National Institute of Polar Research Yan entered the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique in 2008 and joined the Centre d’Etudes Biologiques de Chizé in 2015 where he is now a director of Research. He studies the marine ecology of seabirds with a special emphasis on using penguins as sentinels of environmental changes. A PEW fellow since 2017 he collaborates with the World Wildlife Fund-UK and he is heavily involved in the Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research and the International bio-logging society (to name only a few). Keywords: seabirds, penguins, ecophysiology, behavioural ecology, conservation https://www.cebc.cnrs.fr/Fidentite/ropert_coudert/ropert_coudert_an.htm

Sampath Seneviratne

Dr. Sampath Seneviratne is a senior lecturer at the Department of Zoology & Environment Sciences at the University of Colombo, Sri Lanka, and a research scientist specialized in Molecular Ecology, Evolutionary Genetics and Ornithology. Sampath completed his postgraduate studies in Canada, studying evolution in arctic birds to receive a PhD with Distinction from Memorial University, St. John’s, in 2008. Following his doctoral studies he completed two postdoctoral fellowships on evolution and genomics at the University of British Columbia, Vancouver, and at Birds Canada at the federal Ministry of Environment. His research approach uses both field- and laboratory-based study, grounded in a strong conceptual framework ranging from basic ecology and phylogenetics to next-generation genomics to address processes underlying biological evolution, island biogeography, and causes of endemicity. https://evolution.cmb.ac.lk

Cristián G. Suazo

Chilean marine biologist during the last 14 years, based in southern Chile (41°S), where the sub-Antarctic fjords and islands begin. Cristián has been dedicated to the study of fundamental ecology and applied conservation of seabirds and their interactions with human activities. This work is mainly located in the southern limit of the Humboldt Current System and the sub-Antarctic fjords and islands related to Cape Horn at the end of South America. Among Cristián's experience is the study of breeding and feeding ecology of albatrosses in sub-Antarctic colonies of Chile in collaboration with the Australian Antarctic Division, Justus Liebig University-Giessen (Germany), among others. In the other hand, Cristián is the current coordinator for the BirdLife International's Albatross Task Force in Chile, international team focused in the promotion of mitigation measures to reduce seabird bycatch in industrial and small-scale fisheries. In this latest, his work is focused on the development of novel mitigation measures towards the reduction of seabird bycatch in purse seine fisheries along the Humboldt Current System. Cristián is actively involved with scientific contributions related to seabird bycatch in the Seabird Bycatch Working Group of the Agreement for the Conservation of Albatrosses and Petrels (ACAP). These contributions also include collaboration with researchers from Argentina, Peru, New Zealand, Australia, South Africa, Portugal, and Mexico. Keywords: albatross, bycatch, Chile, fisheries, Humboldt Current, petrel, seabird, sub-Antarctic https://www.birdlife.org/news/tag/albatross-task-force

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