Living Legends of Sea Turtle Conservation
Today’s sea turtle conservationists stand on the shoulders of those pioneers who came before them, each successive generation advancing the cause through new discoveries, commitment, and hard work. Individuals of all ages and from all over the world have pursued countless topics and tasks to evolve the profession. Within the cadre of sea turtle specialists are icons whose work spans decades and whose influence is outsized. On this page, SWOT begins to spotlight some of these living legends.
Meet the Living Legends
Karen A. Bjorndal
Karen Bjorndal received her PhD in 1979 under the direction of Archie Carr. She is director of the Archie Carr Center for Sea Turtle Research and is a distinguished professor in the Department of Biology at the University of Florida. Her research focuses on nutritional ecology and demography of sea turtles, with an emphasis on the roles of sea turtles in marine ecosystems and how these ecosystems have changed in response to major shifts in abundance of sea turtle populations.