Kyle S. Van Houtan

Ph.D., Duke University
M.Sc., Stanford University
B.A., University of Virginia

NOAA Fisheries, Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center
1845 Wasp Boulevard, Building 176, Honolulu, HI 96818 USA

Adjunct Assoc. Professor, Nicholas School of the Environment, Duke University

Telephone: +1 808 228 1112, Email: kyle dot vanhoutan at gmail dot com


Research Interests: Science to inform conservation, management, and prevent extinctions

Selected Publications: (complete list)
1. Van Houtan K.S., Andrews A.H., et. al. (2016). Time in tortoiseshell: a bomb radiocarbon-validated chronology in sea turtle scutes. Proc. R. Soc. B. 283:20152220.
2. Jenkins C.N., Van Houtan K.S., Pimm S.L., & Sexton, J.O. (2015) US protected lands mismatch biodiversity priorities. Proc. Nat. Acad. Sci. USA. 112: 5081-5086.
3. Van Houtan K.S., Halley J.M., & Marks, W. (2015) Terrestrial basking sea turtles are responding to spatio-temporal SST patterns. Biol. Lett. 20140744.
4. Van Houtan K.S. Smith C.M., Dailer M.L., and Kawachi, M. (2014) Eutrophication and the dietary promotion of sea turtle tumors. PeerJ. 2:e602.
5. Nye J.A., Baker M., Bell R., et. al. (2014) Ecosystem effects of the Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation. J. Mar. Syst. 133: 103-116.
6. Van Houtan K.S., McClenachan L., and Kittinger J.N. (2013) Seafood menus reflect long-term ocean changes. Front. Ecol. Environ. 11(6): 289-290.
7. Van Houtan K.S., Halley J.M. (2011) Long-Term Climate Forcing in Loggerhead Sea Turtle Nesting. PLoS ONE 6: e19043.
8. Van Houtan K.S. and Northcott M.S. (Eds.) (2010). Diversity and Dominion: Dialogues in Ecology, Ethics, and Theology. Wipf and Stock, Eugene, Oregon.
9. Van Houtan K.S., Halley J.M., Pimm, S.L., et. al. (2007) Dispersal of Amazonian birds in continuous and fragmented forest. Ecol. Lett. 10(3): 219-229.
10. Van Houtan K.S. (2006) Conservation as virtue: a scientific and social process for conservation ethics. Conserv. Biol. 20(5): 1367-1372.

I. Population Ecology + Conservation Planning. Witnessing the near extinction of the bald eagle as a child spurred my interest in biodiversity conservation. Today my work is to understand long-term population trends and their causes, mostly with protected species of birds, sea turtles, mammals, and fish. My research in this area focuses on extinction risk and population viability models, climate forcing and climate change, historical ecology, life history and physiology, biotelemetry, and models that layer determinism and stochasticity.


II. Coastal Ecosystem Management. Coastal areas are profoundly important for biodiversity and human populations - and may be the most impacted by climate change. These ecosystems are already plagued by overexploitation, pollution, and habitat loss making future management an even more complex challenge. My research in this area focuses on eutrophication, invasive species, diseases in marine populations, commercial and small-scale fisheries, geospatial ecology, and developing citizen science initiatives.


III. Environmental Policy + Ethics. Twenty years of experience in academia and in federal agencies has shown me that environmental management requires literacy in science, policy, and cultural. Though I most often serve in an academic and federal capacity, I also lecture widely in community forums, schools, and churches on biodiversity conservation. I have active research programs in improving formal environmental assessments, but also in moral philosophy, virtue theory, narrative theology, and the history of social movements.


Selected Honors and Awards:
Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (2012-2017)
U.S. Navy contract for sea turtle monitoring in the Marianas Islands (2013-2015)
NOAA S&T grant for developing ecosystem indicators for oceanic sea turtle populations (2013-2015)
E.U./General Secretariat of Greece historical ecology research grant (2013-2015)
NOAA General Counsel Award (2014)
Profiled in American Fisheries Society "Future of Fisheries" mentoring book (2014)
NOAA stock assessment improvement grant for advanced sea turtle biotelemetry (2013)
NOAA stock assessment improvement grant for Pacific Leatherback working group (2011)
Walt Disney Worldwide Conservation Fund grant for sea turtle tumor research (2010)
GeoEye Foundation grant for remote sensing of fisheries impacts (2008)
USFWS contract for modeling dispersal in the Cape Sable sparrow (2006-2007)
NPS contract for modeling sea turtle population dynamics (2006)
Mustard Seed Foundation Harvey Fellows dissertation fellowship (2005-2006)
Kenan Institute ethics colloquium fellowship (2004)


Selected Media Coverage:
Nuwer, R (2016) Old Nuclear Fallout Proves Useful for Sea Turtle Clues. New York Times. 25 Jan.
Aldhous, P (2015) These Maps Reveal How The U.S. Is Failing To Protect Its Wildlife. Buzzfeed. 6 Apr.
Worland, J (2015) The Problem with U.S. Wildlife Protection Efforts TIME. 6 Apr.
Williams, S C P (2015) No more beach time for turtles? Science. 13 Jan.
Staletovich, J (2014) Tumors in Florida's endangered sea turtles linked to polluted oceans. Miami Herald. 31 Oct.
Kennedy, S (2014) Science Today (radio interview). KCBS San Francisco, 4 Oct.
Wiener, C (2014) All Things Marine Radio Show COSEE Island Earth. 9 Sep. (begins at 15:44)
Choo, D (2014) The Dinners of Yesteryear. Hana Hou!. (Hawaiian Airlines magazine) Apr.
Joyce, C (2013) Hawaiian Menus Say "Aloha `oe" To Once Popular Fish. NPR Morning Edition. 9 Aug. (radio interview)
Nuwer, R (2013) What can old menus from Hawaii tell us about changing ocean health? Smithsonian 12 Aug.
Duhaime-Ross, A (2013) Souvenir Seafood Menus Offer Glimpse into Hawaii's Oceans of Old. Scientific American. 9 Aug.
Kwok, R (2013) Seafood menus offer peek into Oceans' past. Conservation. 2 Aug.
Pimm, S (2013) Historical data suggests Hawaiian sea turtle recovery is limited. National Geographic. 26 May.
Larson, P (2012) President Obama Honors Early-Career Scientists and Engineers. White House blog. 31 Jul.
NOAA Fisheries (2012) Van Houtan pioneers understanding of climate effects on sea turtles. Featured Stories. 23 Jul.
Malakoff, D (2011) Forecasting turtles. Conservation. 29 Apr.
Mulvaney, K (2011) Climate is the biggest factor in turtle declines. Discovery News. 20 Apr.
Kessler, R (2011) Humans not solely to blame for sea turtle declines. Science NOW. 28 Apr.
Mulvaney, K (2011) Solving the mystery of a turtle disease. Discovery News. 18 Jan.
Malakoff, D (2010) The worrying case of turtle tumors. Conservation. Vol 11 (4): 4-5.
Kessler, R (2010) Sea turtle herpes, linked to sewage? National Geographic News. 9 Nov.
Fox, D (2007) Frequent hurricanes decimate sea turtle beaches. New Scientist. 11 Aug.
Dean, C (2007) Satellites Show Harvest of Mud That Trawlers Leave Behind. New York Times. 15 May.
Witze, A (2007) Ghosts of Destruction. Nature. Vol 447, p 123.
Hume, M (2007) Photos prove damage caused by trawlers. The Globe and Mail 7 May.
Sharpless, A (2007) Satellite images reveal scale of destruction. Grist. 11 May.
Ward, A H (2006) U.S. Evangelicals Speak Out on Climate Change. Voice of America. 15 Aug. (radio interview)
Adams, J P (2005) Meeting of the Waters. Duke Divinity Magazine. Fall 2005: 4-7.
Wikipedia entry for the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers
Wikipedia entry for the Biological Dynamics of Forest Fragments Project