Meet SMM President, Simon Goldsworthy
I have been a member of the SMM for over 30 years. After completing my BSc (1987) and PhD (1993) at Monash University (Melbourne, Australia), I undertook a Post-doctoral Research Fellowship with the Smithsonian Institution (Washington DC). Since then, I have principally worked as a government scientist in multiple agencies, but also as an academic (La Trobe University, Melbourne), and am currently an Affiliate Professor with The University of Adelaide and Flinders University (South Australia). For almost two-decades I have worked as a Principal Scientist with the South Australian Research and Development Institute (SARDI) in Adelaide (South Australia), where my research has focused on mitigating marine mammal interactions with fisheries and aquaculture, and the population and foraging ecology of recovering long-nosed fur seals, and the endangered Australian sea lion.
Within the SMM I have acted on the Board of Editors for Marine Mammal Science (2007- 2014), and on the SMM Board as a Member at Large (2010-2014), and most recently as President-elect (2020-2022). As President I wish to enhance the Society’s visibility, impact and the opportunities for members and students to communicate and promote their research. The world’s ecological and climate systems are facing unprecedented threats from human impacts, and the rapidity of change is placing extreme pressure on many marine mammal species and their ecosystems. I believe that at no time has the Society’s mission to promote the global advancement of marine mammal science and increase its relevance and impact in education, conservation and management been so important.
The Society for Marine Mammalogy (SMM) is now accepting proposals for projects under its new Conservation Fund. Proposals for up to US$25K can be submitted between now and 31 July 2021. Proposals should be focused on projects that can catalyze real conservation action for the world’s most endangered marine mammal species. Details on the application […]
The Society for Marine Mammalogy’s Board of Governors is excited to welcome Dr. Eduardo Secchi to the Board as the newly appointed chair of the SMM’s Conservation Committee. Dr. Secchi will be taking over from Dr. Barb Taylor who has overseen the SMM’s conservation actions since the committee’s creation. Dr. Secchi has a long history […]
Greetings SMM members and global marine mammal community. I would like to bring attention to the change in leadership of our Committee of Scientific Advisors (CSA) that was announced in our recent newsletter. Dr. Doug Wartzok, after 11 excellent years as Chair of the CSA, is handing over the reins to Dr. Laura May-Collado. In […]
Two years ago, the members of the Society for Marine Mammalogy (SMM) voted to establish a Fellows membership category. This “Fellow” designation is for members who are recognized by the Society and its membership as having “rendered conspicuous service or made truly notable contributions to the advancement and diffusion of the knowledge of marine mammal […]
2020 has been a testing year for all of us. It has also been hard for non-profits, such as the Society for Marine Mammalogy, as charitable donations have declined while the world navigates financial uncertainty. These donations fund some of our most vital functions like supporting student travel, small grants in aid of research, and […]