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Les Kaufman

Professor of Biology at Boston University

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  • Boston University

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Biography

Boston University

Les Kaufman, Professor in the Boston University Marine Program, is an evolutionary ecologist who studies basic processes that drive the creation, collapse, and conservation of aquatic species diversity on coral reefs and tropical great lakes. His interests are increasingly turned toward clinical research on the dynamics of human-natural coupled systems, to create supporting science for global sustainability and climate change adaptation.

His current research focuses on adaptive management of populated coastal ecosystems, taking an experimental approach to marine management areas; dynamic modeling and forecasting of ecosystem service production and trade-offs; genomics as a tool to diagnose organismal response to the combined effects of local and global human stressors; and hybrid models examining the effects of dams and climate change on food security in Africa, Asia, and South America.

In addition to being a member of the BU faculty, Kaufman is Senior Marine Scientist for Conservation International, a Research Scholar with The New England Aquarium and Associate in Ichthyology, Harvard Museum of Comparative Zoology. He serves on the Science and Statistics Committee for the New England Fishery Management Council, and is working with National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) colleagues to modernize federal ocean science.

Kaufman also writes popular books, magazine articles and television, including multiple stints as either author or subject with NOVA and National Geographic. He was awarded the first marine Pew Fellowship in 1990, was selected to receive the Parker-Gentry Award in Conservation Biology for 2011 from the Chicago Field Museum.

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Cases

5 common sharks found along the East Coast

August 14, 2017

Washington Post citing Les Kaufman, College and Graduate School of Arts and Sciences “Several varieties of sharks call the waters off the Eastern Seaboard home…” Expert cite: “Note: Information and date from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Les Kaufman — a shark expert and biology professor at Boston University’s Marine Program and the International Union […]

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As ‘Shark Week’ begins, spottings near Maryland, New Jersey beaches

July 23, 2017

Washington Post quoting Les Kaufman, College and Graduate School of Arts and Sciences “Their names are Mary Lee, Katharine and Hilton…” Expert quote: “Scientists know that the sharks are out there.” View full article. 

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How big data could save aquatic species

December 2, 2016

Christian Science Monitor Les Kaufman, College of Arts & Sciences Last week, the US Forest Service announced what is perhaps its loftiest conservation goal ever: to map every aquatic animal in the Western states… Expert quote: “So far, eDNA is actually working better in some applications than it even should theoretically, and we are trying […]

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The audacious proposal to replace Guantanamo Bay prison with a science lab

March 18, 2016

Vox Les Kaufman, College of Arts & Sciences Whenever conservation ecologist Joe Roman conducts fieldwork in Cuba, he’s in awe of the place… Expert quote: “Most reefs in the Caribbean are so heavily influenced by human impact that the climate signal and the stewardship signal are totally confounded. To me, Guantanamo is like a gift, […]

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As Ocean Waters Heat Up, A Quest to Create ‘Super Corals’

August 4, 2015

Yale Environment 360 Les Kaufman, College of Arts & Sciences In Hawaii this summer, as corals engage in their once-a-year courtship ritual of releasing sperm and eggs into the water by moonlight, Ruth Gates will oversee a unique mating: the coming together of “super-corals” in her lab… Expert quote: “Coral reefs are astonishingly resilient and […]

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Good news for reefs: how corals could survive a heating planet

June 26, 2015

Christian Science Monitor Les Kaufman, College of Arts & Sciences As concern grows over the threat coral reefs face from pollution, destructive fishing practices, and especially climate change and ocean acidification, a research team has found that heat-tolerant corals pass along that tolerance to corals adapted to cooler waters… Expert quote: “Imagine trying to do […]

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Amelia Earhart: Has a scrap of metal solved one of the world’s great mysteries?

October 30, 2014

Christian Science Monitor Les Kaufman, College of Arts & Sciences A scrap of aluminum found on a Pacific atoll may be the best evidence yet that Amelia Earhart was able to land her aircraft as it was running out of fuel, surviving for time before disappearing into history and speculation… Expert quote: “It seems plausible. […]

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Amelia Earhart Plane Fragment May Have Been Identified

October 30, 2014

Huffington Post Les Kaufman, College of Arts & Sciences After decades of looking, researchers say they may finally have found a bit of wreckage from Amelia Earhart’s plane… Expert quote: “It seems plausible. I have been impressed with Ric Gillespie, who seems to me to be an honest broker, a knowledgable enthusiast, and generally cautious […]

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Cuba gets fishery management advice in Provincetown

October 20, 2014

Cape Cod Times Les Kaufman, College of Arts & Sciences It might seem odd: Cuban fisheries managers and scientists seated around a table in this fabled but faded Cape Cod fishing port, sharing their stories of managing crocodiles, manatees and reef fish while trying to absorb the successes and failures of the New England fisheries… […]

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In a briny preserve, fish and controversy thrive

July 13, 2014

Boston Globe (subscription required) Les Kaufman, College of Arts & Sciences For thousands of years, the jagged rocks of a submerged mountain range about 80 miles off the coast of Gloucester have preserved one of the region’s most distinct marine habitats. The frigid waters and glacier-sculpted peaks are home to a billowy kelp forest and […]

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