I am an ecological scientist specialised in Evolutionary Demography and Biodiversity Conservation. My main speciality is to model population demography over the last couple of decades so that we can better understand factors affecting population growth and project its dynamics. I am particularly interested in studying the effects of intrinsic (recruitment rate, senescence rate, sex-differences, population density…) and extrinsic variables (climatic and oceanographic local and global, longline and trawl fisheries bycatch, extreme events, IPCC scenarios…) in different sub-Antarctic Islands. I have been working mainly on seabirds; albatrosses in particular which are great models given their high breeding site fidelity and the length of monitoring programs following thousands of individuals from their birth to their death. The outcomes of my research help advising conservation agreements and fisheries commissions. I am also involved in teaching and training population biology and modelling skills to undergraduates and PhD students.

Education:

• 2009-2012: PhD in Population Ecology,highest distinction, Pierre and Marie Curie University, Paris, France. Jury: Daniel Oro and Michael Schaub (reviewers), Emmanuelle Cam and Jean-Michel Gaillard (observers) and Bernard Cazelles (president).

• 2008-2009: MSc in Biodiversity Ecology Evolution, grade B pass, Montpellier II University, France.

Functional Ecology – Evolution – Mathematical Modelling – Conservation Biology – Human Ecology

• 2007-2008: BSc in Biodiversity & Ecology grade B pass, Paul Cézanne University, Marseille, France.

Multivariate Analyses – Phylogeography – Landscape Ecology – Bio indicators – Climate Change

• 2006-2007: 3^rd year in Populations & Ecosystems Biology, grade A pass, Uppsala University & Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Sweden.

Ecology – Statistical Methods – Comparative Anatomy – Physiology

• 2004-2006: 1^st & 2^nd years in Populations & Ecosystems Biology, grade B pass, Paul Cézanne University, Marseille, France.

Microbiology – Biotic Interactions – Behavioural Ecology – Geosciences – Molecular Ecology

Research interests

Research Experience:

• Post-Doc, British Antarctic Survey, Cambridge, UK, 2012-present.

Age and sex-related effects of climate change and fisheries bycatch on the demography and population dynamics of three species of albatrosses breeding at Bird Island in South Georgia. Supervised by Richard Phillips, Geoff Tuck, Roger Pradel, and Jaume Forcada.

Multi-event models, matrix population models, ANODEV, E-SURGE, R, fisheries data, 50 year CMR databases.

Paused for a 10 month maternity leave.

• PhD,  Centre for Biological studies of Chizé, France, 2009-2012.

Population heterogeneity, climate change and extreme events in long-lived organisms. Supervised by Christophe Barbraud & Henri Weimerskirch.

Guest student, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, MA, USA, Stephanie Jenouvrier.

Age-dependent multi-state models in E-Surge, threshold and covariate models in Mark, GLMM, GAMM, PCA in R Matrix population models in Matlab, extreme events distributions.

• Master,  Centre of Functional and Evolutionary Ecology, Montpellier, France, 2008-2009.

Environment, breeding success and detection heterogeneity: influence of monitoring design on survival estimates in Capture-Mark-Recapture. Thierry Boulinier, David Grémilet & Rémi Choquet.

Matlab programming, robust design, power, bias & precision analyses, monitoring designs

 

Keywords:

• Ecology, demography and population dynamics of long-lived species
• Ageing, senescence, life-history trade-offs, evolutionary demography
• Seabirds, albatrosses, sub-antarctic islands
• Fisheries bycatch, longline, trawl, mitigation measures
• Climate change, global warming, El Nino, extreme events, sea surface temperature
• Population growth rate, extinction risk and viability predictions

Collaborations

Jaimie Cleeland, Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies, University of Tasmania, Hobart, Australia. Technical modelling training.

Dimas Gianuca, University of Exeter, United Kingdom. Technical modelling training.

Paul Tixier, Centre for Biological studies of Chizé, France: Tixier P., Pardo D., Gasco N., Duhamel G., Guinet C. Demographic consequences of interactions with illegal fisheries on vulnerable killer whale populations. In revision.

French comparative evolutionary demography group: Péron G., Gaillard J-M., Charmantier A., Barbraud C., Coulson T., Aubry L., Bonenfant C., Cam E., Choquet R. Grobois V., Loison A., Owen-Smith N., Pardo D., Plard F., Pradel R., Toïgo C., Viallefont A. and Gimenez O. How does senescence vary with life history when individual heterogeneity in survival is accounted for? In revision.

Papers:

• Pardo D., Forcada J., Ireland L., Pradel R., Tuck G., Wood A., and  Phillips R. Facing extinction: climatic and anthropogenic drivers of albatross demography. In prep.
• Pardo D., Jenouvrier S., Barbraud C. and Weimerskirch H. Extreme climatic events and age-specific environmental responses shape albatross demography. In revision.
• Pardo D., Barbraud C. Authier M. and Weimerskirch H. (2013). Evidence for an age-dependent influence of environmental variations on a long-lived seabird’s life-history traits. Ecology, 94(1), 208–220.
• Pardo D., Barbraud C. and Weimerskirch H. (2014).What shall I do now? State-dependent variations of life-history traits with aging in Wandering Albatrosses. Ecology & Evolution, 4(4), 474–487.
• Pardo D., Weimerskirch H. and Barbraud C. (2013). When celibacy matters: improved performance of demographic estimates when accounting for non-breeders. Plos One, 8(3), 1-6.
• Pardo D., Barbraud C. and Weimerskirch H. (2013). Females better face aging. Oecologia 173, 1283–1294.

Talks:

• World Seabird Conference II, October 2015, Cape Town, South Africa.
• 12^th International Seabird Group Conference, March 2014, Oxford, United-Kingdom.
• 1^st meeting of the Evolutionary Demography Society, October 2013, Odense, Denmark.
• Scottish Ecological Ageing Research Group, July 2013, Edinburgh, Scotland.
• 11^th International Seabird Group Conference, September 2011, Plymouth University, UK
• 7^th Société Ecologique à Responsabilité Limitée, May 2011, Rennes, France.
• World Seabird Conference I, September 2010, Victoria, Canada.
• EURING international analytical conference, September 2009, Pescara, Italy.

Posters:

• EURING international analytical conference, May 2013, Athens (GA), USA.
• British Ornithologists’ Union meeting, March 2013, Leicester, England.

Publications from NERC Open Research Archive

Awards:

• Travel award, 1^st meeting of the Evolutionary Demography Society, October 2013, Odense, Denmark.
• Best performance award, EURING international analytical conference, May 2013, Athens (GA), USA.
• Best student talk award, The Seabird Group 11^th international conference, September 2011, Plymouth University, UK.
• Marked 50/60 points by the student committee, 1^st World Seabird Conference, September 2010, Victoria, Canada.

Teaching:

• Supervisions of undergraduates (50h) for the population biology lectures of Cambridge University. PopBio
• STEM Ambassador in the United-Kingdom.  STEMNET
• Management of weekly group projects of Masters’ students (70h) in Chizé.
• Demography lectures to Bachelor students visiting Chizé.
• Diverse scholar interventions (Secondary and High school) about biodiversity, albatrosses and research.
• Information booth on polar animals for children in a zoo, Poitou-Charentes, France.

Training:

• Peer-review of research papers, November 2014, Cambridge University.
• Effective undergraduate supervision, October 2014, Cambridge University.
• Successful grant writing, May 2014, Geof Oldham via British Antarctic Survey.
• Matrix Population Modelling, March 2014, JD Lebreton, Dave Koons and Olivier Gimenez, Montpellier, France.
• Stochastic demography in fluctuating environments, April 2012, Steinar Engen, Russell Lande, Bernt-Erik Sæther, Jarle Tufto and Vidar Grøtan, Lovund, Norway.
• Bayesian population dynamics, February 2010, Marc Kery & Michael Schaub, Sempach, Switzerland.
• State-space modeling, October 2010, Ian Jonsen, Chizé, France.
• Comparative evolutionary demography group: June 2010, Montpellier and April 2011, Chizé, France.
• Law of the sea, May 2010, Paris Oceanographic Institute, Laurent Lucchini, Paris, France.
• Franco-Australian Symposium « the Kerguelen plateau », April 2010, Concarneau, France.
• Statistics in R, October 2009, David Pinaud, Chizé, France.

Fieldwork:

• 2.5 month in New Island, Falklands/Malvinas, Paulo Catry. Demographic monitoring, blood sampling and GLS/GPS deployments on Black-Browed Albatrosses and skuas. Projecto Albatroz
• 2 month in Kerguelen, French Southern Territories, French Polar Institute. Parameterization/deployment of GLS/GPS, blood sampling, ringing, and measurements of Black-Browed Albatrosses and White-Chinned Petrels.
• 2 weeks in Hornøya, Barents Sea, Norway. Colour rings visual recaptures on cliffs of Black-legged kittiwakes.

Outreach:

• Research Associate at Lucy Cavendish College, Cambridge. Lucy Cavendish College
• Translation in French of “Celebrating Antarctica”. Julie Hambrook Berkman and Allen Pope. Foundation for the Good Governance of International Spaces, 2015. Celebrating Antarctica
• Blog “On the effects of climate change in Southern Ocean seabirds” 2014. RSPB Climate Change
• Member of the Cambridge Conservation Forum Women in Leadership groups. CCFWL
• European News Commissioner for the Agreement for the Conservation of Albatrosses and Petrels. ACAP
• Interviewed by secondary school student for a radio program on “Radio Collège”, Aytré, France.
• Pictures published in the Ecological Society of America bulletin, October 2012. Bulletin
• Videos published in a documentary on Maite Louzao, Teknopolis, 2012. Interview
• Picture published in a book: “Cap sur les pôles”. MF. André, JL. Étienne, F Lemarchand & F Rémy. Omniscience, 2012. Book

Conference organisation:

• Symposium organisation and chairing of “Seabird demography and dynamics facing climatic and anthropogenic threats: potential for ecological and/or evolutionary rescue” with Morten Frederiksen and Daniel Oro, World Seabird Conference II, October 2015, Cape Town, South Africa
• 8^th Société Ecologique à Responsabilité Limitée, April 2012, Chizé, France.
• Le réveil du Dodo III. March 2009, Montpellier, France.