I have been a member of the Society for Marine Mammalogy (SMM) since 2007, when I attended my first Biennial Conference in Cape Town, South Africa. After earning my MSc (2004) and PhD (2010) from Université de La Rochelle in France, I completed postdoctoral fellowships at the Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD) in France and at Florida International University (FIU) in Miami—a city I have called home since 2012.
My research centers on the ecology, behavior, and conservation of marine mammals, though I have also studied sharks and sea turtles worldwide, particularly during my postdoctoral years. I am currently an Associate Professor of Biology at FIU, where I lead the Marine Mammal Ecology Laboratory. My work focuses on the spatial and trophic ecology of marine mammals, their ecological roles and importance within marine ecosystems, and the impacts of human activities on their populations.
Although I have been part of the Society for nearly two decades, my deeper involvement began when I co-chaired the 22nd Biennial Conference on the Biology of Marine Mammals, held in Palm Beach, Florida, in August 2022. Following that experience, I joined the SMM Board, serving as Secretary (2023–2024) and later as President-Elect (2024–2025).
As President, my goal is to increase the Society’s global impact and broaden our membership by fostering greater inclusivity. I am committed to raising our visibility so that we can more effectively fulfill our mission: advancing marine mammal science worldwide and strengthening its role in education and conservation management. Marine mammals and our marine mammal science community need our efforts now more than ever.
Your president, Jay Barlow, is currently representing the SMM at the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (COP-CBD) in Cancun, Mexico. The Society was invited to participate by Mexico’s environmental minister, Rafael Pachiano Alaman, who was one of the recipients of the SMM Conservation Merit Award at the last biennial. The […]
Jay Barlow, Society for Marine Mammalogy President, has been invited to attend the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (COP 13). The purpose of this meeting is to set the scene and provide the necessary impetus to make progress on specific issues in conservation and to discuss challenges and opportunities. During COP 13, […]
I am delighted to announce that the winner the 2015 Norris Award is James Mead. Jim is a truly worthy recipient of an award which was established in the name of the society’s founding president to acknowledge his exemplary lifetime contribution to science and society through research, teaching, and service in marine mammalogy. Jim is […]
Greetings! Please find below a few news items of interest from the Society for Marine Mammalogy for you regarding the next two conferences and a reminder to vote. Venue Change for the 2017 SMM Conference The organizers for the planned 2017 SMM Biennial Conference in Veracruz, Mexico had to reluctantly withdraw their offer to host […]
Christmas greetings to you all. I hope you are able to find time to immerse yourselves with friends and family and take pause before 2015 sweeps us up into another busy year. Two weeks ago we held the annual meeting of the SMM Board in San Francisco. The organising committee for the 21st Biennial Conference […]