William Sydeman, Ph.D.

My career extends across almost five decades. I started out working as an intern marine biologist studying marine mammals and seabirds on the Farallon Islands in 1981, which was very influential to me. I spent 15 years as the Director of Marine Ecology at Point Blue (formerly PRBO Conservation Science), before founding the Farallon Institute in 2007. Over the years, I’ve conducted many studies of “bottom-up” ecosystem dynamics, integrating data on ocean conditions, plankton to predators, mostly in the California Current, Benguela Current, and Gulf of Alaska large marine ecosystems. In recent time, I’ve focused on dramatic and abrupt ecosystem changes, often seen in response to climate events including marine heat waves (MHW), as well as the design and implementation of seabirds as indicators of ecosystem change. Currently, I serve on a variety of scientific panels, including the Section for Marine Birds and Mammals (S-MBM) for the North Pacific Marine Science Organization (PICES), the Scientific Advisory Team (SAT) for the State of California's Ocean Protection Council (OPC), the Executive Steering Committee (ESC) for the Southern California Coastal Ocean Observing System (SCCOOS), and the Science Advisory Committee (SAC) for the North Pacific Research Board (NPRB). I enjoy writing papers and crafting proposals, and have published over 200 papers in the primary literature. I also enjoy presenting marine science to state and federal policy-makers on the effects of climate change on marine ecosystems, how to best design and use the nation's ocean observing systems, and ecosystem-based fisheries management.