James Charles Russell is a New Zealand conservation biologist and professor at the University of Auckland.
Russell is most widely known for his research on Norway rats (Rattus norvegicus) in New Zealand. One of the rats he studied swam over 400 metres between two Hauraki Gulf islands, breaking the swimming distance record for rats. The intentions of the rat are believed to have been amorous. The rat, known as Razza, was featured in Nature,[1] and later in a children's book by Witi Ihimaera.[2] Russell gained a PhD on the genetics and invasion ecology of rats, from the University of Auckland.[3]
He writes a blog for National Geographic on island conservation.[4]
Awards and honours edit
In 2012, Russell was awarded the New Zealand Prime Minister's MacDiarmid Emerging Scientist Prize, worth NZ$200,000, for his work using DNA fingerprinting of rats and statistical modelling to address conservation problems.[5]
In 2014, Russell was awarded a Rutherford Discovery Fellowship, worth NZ$800,000, for research on conservation complexity: scaling vertebrate pest control.[6][7]
References edit
- ^ James C. Russell; David R. Towns; Sandra H. Anderson; Mick N. Clout (20 October 2005). "Intercepting the first rat ashore". Nature. 437 (1107): 1107. Bibcode:2005Natur.437.1107R. doi:10.1038/4371107a. PMID 16237434.
- ^ "Witi Ihimaera puts Razza the Rat back into the spotlight". University of Auckland. 23 November 2006. Archived from the original on 17 October 2008.
- ^ Russell, James (2007). Invasion ecology and genetics of Norway rats on New Zealand islands (Doctoral thesis). ResearchSpace@Auckland, University of Auckland. hdl:2292/1205.
- ^ "James Russell – National Geographic Blog". blog.nationalgeographic.org. Retrieved 2018-02-08.
- ^ "The Prime Minister's MacDiarmid Emerging Scientist Prize 2012 | The Prime Minister's Science Prizes". www.pmscienceprizes.org.nz. Retrieved 2018-02-08.
- ^ "Rutherford Discovery Fellowships awarded". The Beehive. Retrieved 2021-12-05.
- ^ "Search Rutherford Discovery Fellowship awards 2010–2017". Royal Society Te Apārangi. Retrieved 2021-12-05.
External links edit
- Professor James Charles Russell, University of Auckland
- Russell's page at University of California, Berkeley
- Invasion ecology and genetics of Norway rats on New Zealand islands, Russell's PhD thesis