Dr. Scott A. Eckert

"After more than 30 years as a research scientist and graduate student advisor at both nonprofit conservation and research institutions and at top-tier research universities, I’m happy to share my experience and serve as a mentor to the next generation of conservation biologists."

Dr. Scott Eckert has been active for nearly three decades in the field of pelagic marine vertebrate research and conservation, focusing largely on sea turtles. He is world-renowned for his expertise on leatherback turtles and the important role these wide-ranging oceanic reptiles play in the marine environment. Eckert pioneered the use of microelectronics on sea turtles, was the first to successfully use satellite telemetry to study the long-term movements and behaviors of leatherbacks and whale sharks, and was also the first to connect the collapse of major sea turtle nesting aggregations to distant commercial fishing activity. His current research focuses on the oceanic behavior and ecology of the leatherback sea turtle from numerous field sites in the U.S. and the Caribbean. Eckert joined the Principia College faculty in 2010.

Scholarly Interests

• Endangered species research and management
• Marine turtle management and conservation
• Conservation biology
• Biotelemetry
• Biologging
• Herpetology
• Ecological physiology
• Ornithology

Contributions to Field

• Consultant to governments, non-governmental organizations, and inter-governmental bodies, including the World Trade Organization and the U. S. Commission on Oceans
• Chairman of the U.S. Pacific Sea Turtle Recovery Team
• Member of the U.S. Atlantic/Caribbean Sea Turtle Recovery Team, the Marine Turtle Specialist Group of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Species Survival Commission
• Chairman Emeritus of the Sea Turtle Working Group of the Census of Marine Life “Tracking of Pacific Pelagics” program
• Editor Emeritus of the acclaimed Marine Turtle Newsletter

Awards

Department of Commerce NOAA/National Marine Fisheries Service Recognition Award for "outstanding efforts in sea turtle conservation," 1984

Antarctic Service Medal, 1989 

Memberships and Affiliations

• Wider Caribbean Sea Turtle Conservation Network, Director of Science
• Society for the Study of Amphibians and Reptiles
• IUCN Marine Turtle Specialist Group
• International Sea Turtle Symposium
• Nature Seekers (Trinidad), Science Advisor

Publications and Presentations

Eckert has written more than 150 scientific and general interest articles. See the CV below for details.