Michael D. White, Ph.D.
Senior Ecologist and San Diego Director
Email: mdwhite@consbio.org See CV [PDF]
Michael D. White, Ph.D. is a limnologist specializing in aquatic and riparian ecology, with expertise in conservation planning, applications of geographic information systems, ecological risk assessments, and the assessment, management, and restoration of aquatic and riparian systems. He holds a B.A. in Ecology, Behavior, and Evolution from the University of California at San Diego, where he gained a strong understanding of the basic theoretical concepts of ecology. Mike's undergraduate studies led to an interest in the effects of predatory interactions on ecological communities. He earned a Ph.D. in Ecology in the San Diego State University and University of California, Davis Joint Doctoral Program. His dissertation research examined the manner in which predatory interactions in a limnetic fish-zooplankton community influenced spatial and temporal distributions of the zooplankton. He also developed a keen interest in the ecology of freshwater aquatic and riparian systems.
In his professional career, Mike has worked in a variety of ecosystems throughout the Southwestern U.S. and Pacific Rim on projects involving habitat conservation planning, watershed assessment, aquatic and riparian habitat assessment and management, and ecological risk assessment. He is conducting research on the interrelationship between hydrological and biological parameters and how they are influenced by land use and water management practices. These interrelationships are critical elements in conservation planning, especially planning at watershed scales.
Mike is currently working with various federal, state, and local governments and non-governmental organizations on issues relating to implementation of the San Diego Multiple Species Conservation Program and other landscape scale conservation efforts in southern California. Mike is a board member of the Conservation Biology Institute, representing the Institute's Southwestern operations office. He is an Adjunct Associate Professor in the Biology Department at San Diego State University and is a Faculty Associate at the Center for Inland Waters at San Diego State University. Mike regularly lectures on a variety of subjects, including habitat conservation planning, experimental design and statistical analysis, limnology and aquatic ecology, and ecological risk assessment. He is a native Californian who lives with his wife Jerre, dog, and cat in Encinitas, California, where he enjoys gardening, cooking, and rooting for the San Diego Padres.
