Lars Bejder is the Director of the Marine Mammal Research Program and a Research Professor at the Hawaiʻi Institute of Marine Biology. His research integrates empirical and applied approaches to advance the conservation and management of marine megafauna. His interests include behavioral-, population-, and social ecology; bioenergetics; abundance estimation; and assessing the effects of a changing environment and human activities (e.g., habitat degradation, coastal development, and tourism) on marine mammals. He applies innovative technologies to quantify fine-scale habitat use, energy expenditure, body condition, and population health of marine mammals. Lars works closely with management agencies and conservation partners to ensure his research directly informs evidence-based policy and effective stewardship of marine wildlife.
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Dr. Lars Bejder
Biography
Lars is originally from Denmark where he received his bachelor degree in Biology and Chemistry from the University of Southern Denmark. He obtained his master’s degree in Marine Sciences from Otago, University in New Zealand, and his PhD from Dalhousie University in Canada. He was previously a Professor at Murdoch University, Australia before heading to the Hawaiʻi Institute of Marine Biology at the University of Hawaiʻi at Manoa (UHM) in 2018. Dr Bejder is also an adjunct Professor at Aarhus University, Denmark. At UHM, he supervises higher degree research students (PhDs and MScs) and is responsible for the academic and strategic development of the MMRP. He has served on multiple international scientific and advisory bodies, including the Scientific Committee of the International Whaling Commission, the IUCN Cetacean Specialist Group, and NOAA’s Pacific Scientific Review Group.