Steven J. Cooke is a Canadian biologist specializing in ecology and conservation physiology of fish. He is best known for his integrative work on fish physiology, behaviour, ecology, and human-dimensions to understand and solve complex environmental problems. He currently is a Canada Research Professor in Environmental Science and Biology at Carleton University and the Editor-in-Chief of the scientific journal Conservation Physiology.
Education
Cooke started his postsecondary education at the University of Waterloo in Ontario, Canada (1993-1999) where he attained a Bachelor of Environmental Studies and a master's in biology. Cooke completed his doctorate at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (1999-2002) with David Philipp and David Wahl where he studied the physiological diversity of sunfish in the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences.
Career
Following his Ph.D., Dr. Cooke accepted a post-doctoral position (with support from NSERC and the Killam Trust) with the Centre for Applied Conservation Research at the University of British Columbia (2002-2005) where he studied the migration biology of sockeye salmon with Dr. Scott Hinch and Dr. Tony Farrell. He joined the professoriate in 2005 and now is a Full Professor of Environmental Science and Biology at Carleton University. He is also the Canada Research Chair in Fish Ecology and Conservation Physiology. His Carleton research lab consists of approximately 30 members, including undergraduate and graduate students and post docs, and he teaches specialized courses in aquatic biology and ecology. He has launched the careers of several prominent biologists, including Forbes 30 Under 30 Winner in Science Dr. Austin Gallagher, who was a postdoctoral fellow in his lab at the time. He serves as an adjunct professor in the Department of Forest and Conservation Science at the University of British Columbia, an adjunct professor in the Biology Department at the University of Waterloo, an affiliate at the Illinois Natural History Survey and is a Special Graduate Faculty at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. In 2014 he was appointed as Director of the Institute of Environmental Science at Carleton University which became the Institute of Environmental and Interdisciplinary Science in July 2018. Cooke held a Tier II Canada Research Chair from 2009 to 2019.
In addition to his academic activities, Dr. Cooke is the Editor-in-Chief of the Oxford University Press’s journal Conservation Physiology Oxford Journals | Life Sciences | Conservation Physiology on behalf of the Society for Experimental Biology. He also serves as an editor for Journal of Animal Biotelemetry and Environmental Biology of Fishes and is on the editorial board for Fisheries Research. In 2009 he published and edited a book (with Dr. David Philipp) on the biology and management of centrarchid fishes titled Centrarchid Fishes: Diversity, Biology and Conservation. He was the president of the Canadian Aquatic Resources Section of the American Fisheries Society from 2011-2013 and is the Chair of the Sea Lamprey Research Board of the Great Lakes Fishery Commission (2013). He is Past President of the International Section of the American Fisheries Society (served as president from 2017-2018). He was previously involved in leadership roles with NSERC HydroNet and Ocean Tracking Network. In 2013 he delivered a TEDx talk on the future of recreational fishing. He is a Science Ambassador for Keepemwet Fishing. Cooke launched the Canadian Centre for Evidence-Based Conservation and Environmental Management in 2014 - an affiliate of the UK-based Collaboration for Environmental Evidence. In 2014 Cooke conceived and launched the "Legends in Canadian Fisheries Science and Management" initiative to recognize luminaries in Canadian fisheries through the Canadian Aquatic Resources Section of the American Fisheries Society.As of November 2019, Dr. Cooke has published over 800 peer-reviewed scientific papers.