Professor Rob Fuller has worked at the BTO since 1973 and is currently Science Director (Ecological Change). His research interests have focussed on the responses of biodiversity, especially birds, to land-use change and habitat management, mainly in agricultural and forest systems. Throughout his career Rob has always made great efforts to combine the data collected by volunteers with professional analyses and interpretation. He has supervised the latest British and Irish atlas project Bird Atlas 2007-11 which will come to fruition in a major publication later in 2013.
Through his leadership of teams and work programmes at the BTO he has encouraged and mentored young scientists, several of whom have gone on to positions in ornithology and conservation having benefited from Rob’s influence, inspiration and support.
Rob has contributed enormously to the wider ornithological world. He was on the BOU meetings committee (1984-1989), Council (1995-1999) and then served as Vice President (2007-2011). He was Secretary to the International Bird Census Committee (1983-1989) and is currently chairman of the Local Organising Committee for the 2013 European Ornithologists’ Union conference due to take place in UK in August 2013. He was Honorary Reader, School of Environmental Sciences, University of East Anglia (2005-2008) and, since 2008, Honorary Senior Research Fellow, School of Biosciences, University of Birmingham and Honorary Professor, School of Environmental Sciences, University of East Anglia.
Rob has made an important and lasting contribution to the science of applied ornithology over several decades both as a senior manager in a key organisation and in his capacity as a highly productive researcher working on some of the major conservation challenges of these times.
Today the BOU celebrate’s Rob’s contribution to ornithology with the award of the Godman-Salvin Prize.
A full citation will appear in the July issue of Ibis.
The BOU’s Godman Salvin Prize is awarded by the BOU to an individual for distinguished ornithological work.
