Howard Rosenbaum

Howard Rosenbaum

Biography

Howard C. Rosenbaum is a conservation biologist with the Science Resource Center at the Wildlife Conservation Society. He oversees the Conservation Genetics Program in a joint program with the Molecular Systematics Laboratory of the American Museum of Natural History. Rosenbaum received his Ph.D. in biology from Yale University in 1999 and has been involved in marine mammal research for over twelve years. His main areas of research are conservation of Southern Hemisphere whale populations and the application of genetic techniques to promote conservation of endangered species. To address genetic issues surrounding the recovery of large whale populations, Dr. Rosenbaum and his colleagues developed a technique to extract DNA from historical baleen specimens. His work has provided valuable information concerning levels of genetic diversity and systematic relationships among a number of critically endangered species.

Dr. Rosenbaum directs an ongoing program to determine the distribution and abundance of marine mammals in northeastern Madagascar and throughout the southwestern Indian and South Atlantic oceans. He is responsible for developing the first systematic humpback whale research in these regions and has extensive experience working with local students, scientists, conservation professionals and managers. Dr. Rosenbaum is the advisor or co-advisor for students in graduate and undergraduate programs in Madagascar, Brazil, Gabon, and the United States. His insights into the implications of research have been recognized by important international conservation and management organizations. He currently serves as a member of the Scientific Committee of the International Whaling Commission and a member of the Cetacean Specialist Group of the World Conservation Union's Species Survival Commission (IUCN/SSC).

Relevant Publications

Rosenbaum, H.C, R.L. Brownell Jr., M.W. Brown, C. Schaeff, V. Portway, B.N. White, S. Malik, L.A. Pastene, N.J. Patenaude, C.S. Baker, M. Goto, P.B. Best, P.J. Clapham, P. Hamilton, M. Moore, R. Payne, V. Rowntree, C.T. Tynan, and R. DeSalle. 2000. Worldwide genetic differentiation of Eubalaena: Questioning the number of right whale species. Molecular Ecology 9: 1793-1802.

Rosenbaum, H.C., M.G. Egan, P.J. Clapham, , R.L. Brownell Jr., M.W. Brown, B.N. White, S. Malik, P.D. Walsh, and R. DeSalle. 2000. Utility of North Atlantic right whale museum specimens in assessing changes in genetic diversity. Conservation Biology 14 (6): 1837-1842.

Rosenbaum, H.C. and A.S. Deinard. 1998. Caution before claim: An overview of microsatellite analysis in ecology and evolutionary biology. In Molecular Approaches to Ecology and Evolution. R. DeSalle and B. Schierwater, eds. Birkhauser, Basel.

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