Dr. Alistair Dove, Vice President of Science and Education
Areas of Expertise:
- Biology of whale sharks
- Marine conservation
- Aquatic animal health
- Science communication
Dr. Dove is a broadly trained marine biologist and conservationist and a leading authority on the biology of whale sharks. As Vice President of Science and Education, he leads the Aquarium’s education, research and conservation initiatives and develops collaborative partnerships with other institutions. He provides strategic oversight for the IUCN Center for Species Survival at Georgia Aquarium, coordinating the Aquarium’s conservation efforts with the IUCN Species Survival Commission and other key conservation partners. He is also the Institutional Official for the Aquarium’s USDA Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC).
Dr. Dove obtained his PhD from the University of Queensland, Australia in 1999, studying invasive freshwater fishes in Australian lakes and rivers. After moving to the USA in 2000, Dr. Dove held positions at the Wildlife Conservation Society (New York Aquarium), Cornell University, Stony Brook University and Columbia University, studying various aspects of the health of marine life. He joined the Georgia Aquarium team in 2006. He currently serves on the council of the World Association of Zoos and Aquariums (WAZA) as chair of the Aquariums Committee, and is Vice Chair of the Wildlife Conservation Committee of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums
He has published over 75 scientific articles, several book chapters, and is the author and co-editor of the book Whale sharks: biology, ecology, and conservation. He is an adjunct faculty member at Georgia Institute of Technology (Biology), Georgia State University (Neurobiology), and UGA (Anatomic Pathology). Dr. Dove is a passionate science communicator and a compelling public speaker. He presented at TEDxPeachtree in 2015, was the Keynote speaker at the 2019 NCUR conference, and has been a contributor and associate editor for DeepSeaNews.com. He actively engages the public about marine science and conservation from his main Twitter account @DrAlistairDove.
