This session will take place on:

• Tuesday 17th March 2026
• Time: 14:00 - 15:00 (UK time)

This is the second installment of   Conservation Physiology’s    Community Conversations series, aimed at early career researchers wishing to build a career in conservation physiology or other fields of research. Sessions will cover topics such as academic publishing, scientific writing and developing collaborations

Once you register, you will be sent the Zoom link and joining details 1 day before the event.

There is an opportunity on the booking form to let us know if you have any accessibility requirements so we can help everyone to engage and access this webinar. 

Thinking like a non-human: Escaping anthropocentric constraints to better enact conservation strategies in coastal ecosystems

As humans, we view the world in ways that are fundamentally at odds with how the vast majority of nonhuman organisms experience the same conditions, a consequence of anthropocentrism (centering one’s perception of the natural world on humans). Weather and oceanographic conditions that we perceive as benign can in fact expose some animals and plants to extreme conditions, and vice versa. This not only affects our ability to effectively design and implement experiments in the field and lab to understand how climate change affects marine organisms, but can also influence decision making of how we use that information to implement conservation strategies. It also affects how we teach environmental science to students.

Using a cognitive science approach centered on understanding perceptions of nature and in particular marine environments, I’ll discuss ways that we can “think like a non-human” both in the classroom and while designing conservation measures. Having lived underwater for multiple days as an Aquanaut using a technique called saturation diving, I’ll also explore how literally living as part of an ocean ecosystem can help to foster new understandings of the human-ocean connection. I’ll discuss plans for ProteusTM, the vision of Fabien Cousteau where we are building the world’s largest saturation diving facility to address the ocean’s most pressing challenges.

Speaker

Professor Brian Helmuth

Northeastern University and Chief Scientific Officer, Proteus Ocean Group

Find out more

Cost

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MEMBERSHIP FEES

Audience

Open to researchers from all career stages. It is aimed specifically at students and early career researchers in conservation physiology.

Join the Conservation Physiology special interest group!

Already a member of SEB? If you're interested in this webinar, you should join the Conservation Physiology special interest group (SIG)!

The field of conservation physiology explores the physiological responses of organisms to anthropogenic -induced environmental change and attempts to determine the possible threats imposed by current and future conditions. This group brings together physiologists, ecologists and conservation biologists who have an interest in studies that assess and predict the impacts of current and future human-induced environmental change on organisms.

Questions

Email us at [email protected].

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Code of Conduct

By attending this event, you are agreeing to abide by the SEB code of conduct. SEB does our best to maintain an inclusive and welcoming environment for everyone, but you can report unwanted behaviour using our anti-harassment report form if you feel this has not been the case.