Dr. Peter Marra

Roles: Moderator

Dr. Peter P Marra is the Director of the Earth Commons—Georgetown’s Institute for the Environment and Sustainability—and Laudato Si’ Professor of Biology and the Environment. Marra uses birds to help us define and understand broad environmental issues, tackling contemporary conservation challenges by addressing fundamental knowledge gaps at the intersection of ornithology, ecology and conservation biology. His transformative work—including quantifying the loss of 3 billion birds from North America, the impacts of climate change, the astounding ecological destruction of outdoor cats and emerging diseases such as West Nile virus—explores the interaction between humans and our environment and poses critical questions to humanity about the environmental costs of urbanization and globalization. His work spans biology, engineering, physiology, and biogeochemistry, and has helped ignite new research into the study of full life cycles of migratory animals while furthering technological advances, including the use of genetics, stable isotopes and remote tracking technologies. With over 250 peer-reviewed papers, Marra uses integrative techniques and rigorous quantitative approaches, leveraging data to link fundamental ecological advances to address conservation problems and reimagine approaches that inform policy. Over 55 current and former students and his position as founding director of the Earth Commons, Georgetown University’s new institute for environment and sustainability, demonstrate Marra’s dedication to moving research to implementation and educating the next generation of diverse scientists.

 

2023 Program(s):

The Grab