Associate Professor Guido Parra Vergara

Associate Professor

College of Science and Engineering

+61 8 82013565

guido.parra@flinders.edu.au

Biological Sciences (154)

GPO Box 2100, Adelaide 5001, South Australia

Guido is originally from Colombia where he conducted his BSc in Biology at Universidad de los Andes. He migrated to Australia in 1999 to conduct his PhD at James Cook University studying the behavioural ecology of Australian Snubfin and Indo-Pacific humpback dolphins. After his PhD he worked as a postdoctoral fellow at James Cook University and The University of Queensland investigating different aspects of the ecology, behaviour and population genetics of coastal dolphins.

He joined the Marine Innovations South Australia (MISA) programme through a joint position between Flinders University and the South Australian Research and Development Institute (SARDI - Aquatic Sciences) where he acted as the primary cetacean ecologist between 2009 and 2014. Since 2014, he has been at Flinders University full-time where he leads the Cetacean Ecology, Behaviour and Evolution Lab (CEBEL).

Qualifications

2005 - PhD. Natural Resource Management. James Cook University
2001 - MSc. Natural Resource Management (upgraded to a PhD in 2001). James Cook University
1995 - BSc. Biology. Universidad de los Andes.

Honours, awards and grants

2014. FUSIONARTE Award. “100 Colombianos”. Identifies and honours Colombians who are examples of success abroad.
2011. Flinders University Vice-Chancellor's Early Career Research Award.
2006 - 2009. Postdoctoral Fellowship. University of Queensland.
2007. University of Queensland Early Career Research Award.
2007. Travel Award for International Collaborative Research. University of Queensland.
2005 - 2006. Postdoctoral Fellowship. CRC Reef Research Centre, James Cook University.
2003. Postgraduate Conference Travel Award. CRC Reef Research Centre.
2001 -2004. International Postgraduate Research Award. James Cook University.
2001. Postgraduate Conference Travel Research Award. James Cook University.
1999 - 2001. Postgraduate Studies Award. Fundaci&Ã³n Para el Futuro de Colombia (Foundation for the Future of Colombia).
1998. Scholarship to attend the course: 'Marine Mammal Biology and Conservation'. Valencia, Spain. European Cetacean Society and Universidad Internacional Menendez Pelayo.

Key responsibilities

Research Leader Cetacean Ecology, Behaviour and Evolution Lab
Animal Welfare Committee (Biological Sciences sub-committee) member
International Whaling Commission Small Cetacean Scientific Committee member
IUCN Species Survival Commission-Cetacean Specialist Group member
Australian representative of the Southeast Asian Marine Mammal Association
Associate editor for the journal Marine Mammal Science

Teaching interests

My teaching interests are in the areas of animal behavior, ecology,and conservation biology

Topic coordinator

BIOL3751 Marine Mammals, Birds and Reptiles

BIOL2711 Ecology

Topic lecturer

BIOL3751 Marine Mammals, Birds and Reptiles

BIOL1711 Introduction to Animal Behaviour

BIOL3721 Research in Animal Behaviour

BIOL2711 Ecology

Supervisory interests

Animal behaviour

Conservation biology

Dolphins, behaviour, ecology and evolution

Whales, behaviour, ecology and evolution

Higher degree by research supervision

Current

Principal supervisor: Interspecific interactions among delphinids (1), Behavioural ecology of bottlenose dolphins

Completion

Principal supervisor: Ecology and behaviour of inshore dolphins (5)

Associate supervisor: Behavioural ecology of southern Australian bottlenose dolphins (1), Socio-genetic structure of southern Australian bottlenose dolphins (1)

Higher degree by research student achievements

Nikki Zanardo

AMSA-SA best presentation award at the AMSA-SA 7th Annual Symposium, Adelaide - OCT 2012

Ina Ansmann

Best student presentation award at European Cetacean Society Conference, Cadiz Spain. - MAR 2011

Cecilia Passadore

Conservation Leadership Programme Award to attend Interantional Congress for Conservation Biology - NOV 2017

Cecilia Passadore

International Scholarship Award from the Society for Conservation GIS - MAY 2018

Nikki Zanardo

Best poster presentation award on marine vertebrate research at the Australian Marine Sciences Association Conference - JUL 2018

Professional engagement

2016-ongoing. Member of the International Whaling Commission Small Cetacean Scientific Committee.

2014-ongoing. Review editor for Frontiers in Marine Science -Marine Conservation and Sustainability specialty section.

2014–ongoing. Member of The IUCN Species Survival Commission-Cetacean Specialist Group 2013–ongoing. Australian representative of the Southeast Asian Marine Mammal Association (SEAMMAM). 2013-ongoing. Associate editor for the journal Marine Mammal Science.

2004-ongoing: Reviewer for: PLOs One, Biological Conservation, Conservation Biology, Endangered Species Research, Marine Ecology Progress Series, Aquatic Mammals, Marine Mammal Science, Marine and Freshwater Research, Latin American Journal of Aquatic

Expert for media contact

Behaviour

Conservation

Ecology

Wildlife

Dolphins and whales: ecology, behaviour and conservation

Available for contact via

+61 8 82013565

guido.parra@flinders.edu.au

Or contact the media team

newsdesk@flinders.edu.au

+61 8 82012092