Pete Marra earned a Ph.D. from Dartmouth College in 1998 and an M.S. from Louisiana State University in 1989. He is currently director of the Georgetown Environment Initiative (GEI), the Laudato Si’ Professor in Biology and the Environment, and professor in the McCourt School of Public Policy. Previously, he served as a conservation scientist at the Smithsonian Institution’s Conservation Biology Institute. Pete’s research has three broad themes, which include migration, disease, and urban ecology. His primary interests lie in understanding the factors that control population persistence and dynamics — his work examines the roles of climate, habitat, food, and disease, as well as other direct sources of mortality, on avian populations. His research, which is both fundamental and applied, emphasizes incorporating events throughout the annual cycle, especially from the Neotropical wintering period. Pete has published over 100 peer reviewed papers and 1 book. When not pursuing birds, he is an avid fresh and salt-water fly fisherman.
