David Shiffman

David is an interdisciplinary marine conservation biologist, an award-winning science educator, and an expert in science communication and policy. His work broadly looks at the ecology of endangered species of marine life, the threats they face, the policy solutions needed to save them, and the knowledge, attitudes, and practices of key stakeholder groups. He runs an ocean conservation policy and communications consulting firm in the Washington, DC area and has been named one of the people most influencing policy in Washington, DC by Washingtonian Magazine. Much of his work focuses on turning the best available science into actionable, practical policy solutions and communicating those solutions to decisionmakers.

He has taught at the undergraduate and graduate level at several institutions, and in addition to his prolific academic writing, he’s written for National Geographic, Scientific American, the Washington Post, internationally-syndicated op-eds, and a monthly column in SCUBA diving magazine. He is also the author of “Why Sharks Matter” from Johns Hopkins University Press, and invites you to follow him on social media @ WhySharksMatter, where he’s one of the most-followed scientists in the world and is always happy to answer peoples’ questions about ocean science and conservation.