Robert Poulin Explained

Robert Poulin
Birth Place:	Canada
Education:	McGill University Université Laval
Discipline:	Evolutionary ecology
Sub Discipline:	Parasitism specialist
Workplaces:	University of Otago

Robert Poulin is an evolutionary ecologist specialising in the ecology of parasitism. He is a professor of zoology at the University of Otago and a Fellow of the Royal Society of New Zealand.

Biography

Robert Poulin grew up in Canada, taking his bachelor's degree in aquatic biology at McGill University, Montreal and gaining his doctorate at Université Laval, Quebec City. He became a researcher in Quebec. He moved to New Zealand in 1992, where he is a professor of zoology, leading a research group studying the ecology of parasites at the University of Otago.^[1]

He has written over 450 peer-reviewed journal papers and at least 25 book chapters.^[2] His book Evolutionary Ecology of Parasites has been cited at least 2600 times; his co-written Parasites in food webs: the ultimate missing links has been cited over 1000 times; his The diversity of parasites has been cited over 800 times; his Parasite Biodiversity has been cited over 770 times, while Parasitism and group size in social animals: a meta-analysis and five other papers have each been cited over 500 times; 14 further works have been cited over 300 times each. In all he has been cited over 50,000 times, with an h-index over 112 and an i10-index over 585.^[3]

Poulin is married with two sons.

Awards and distinctions

Poulin became a Fellow of the Royal Society of New Zealand in 2001, and won the New Zealand Association of Scientists' Research Medal the same year.^[4] In 2002 he was awarded a James Cook Research Fellowship by the Royal Society Te Apārangi.^[4] In 2007 he won the Robert Arnold Wardle Award of the Canadian Society of Zoologists.^[4] In 2011 he won the Hutton Medal of the Royal Society of New Zealand.^[4] He was awarded the University of Otago's Distinguished Research Medal in 2013.^[4]

The North African tortoise pinworm Tachygonetria poulini is named for him,^[4] as is the New Zealand parasitic fluke Maritrema poulini,^[5] and the parasitic cryptogonimid trematode Siphoderina poulini.^[6]

Books

Authored

• Poulin, R., & Morand, S. (2004). Parasite biodiversity. Smithsonian Books.
• Poulin, R. (2004). Going in circles: the complex transmission routes of parasites. University of Otago.
• Poulin, R. (2011) [1998]. Evolutionary ecology of parasites (2nd ed.). Princeton University Press. (1st ed. Chapman and Hall)

Edited

• Poulin, R., Morand, S., & Skorping, A. (Eds.). (2000). Evolutionary Biology of Host-Parasite Relationships: Theory meets Reality. Elsevier.
• Poulin, R. (Ed.). (2002). Parasitology – Parasites in Marine Systems (Supplement, No. 124, Parasitology). Cambridge University Press.
• Morand, S., Krasnov, B. R., & Poulin, R. (Eds.). (2006). Micromammals and macroparasites: From evolutionary ecology to management. Springer.

Notes and References

1. Web site: Professor Robert Poulin . . 2 March 2018.
2. Dougherty . Ian . The accidental parasitologist . University of Otago Magazine . 6-8 . October 2013.
3. Web site: Robert Poulin . Google Scholar . 12 August 2024.
4. Web site: Dougherty . Ian . The accidental parasitologist . University of Otago Magazine . 2 March 2018.
5. Presswell . Bronwen . Blasco-Costa . Isabel . Kostadinova . Aneta . Two new species of Maritrema Nicoll, 1907 (Digenea: Microphallidae) from New Zealand: morphological and molecular characterisation . Parasitology Research. 113 . 5 . 23 February 2014 . 10.1007/s00436-014-3809-9 . 1641–1656. 24562817 . 253973754 .
6. Miller . Terrence . Cribb . Thomas . Eight new species of Siphoderina Manter, 1934 (Digenea, Cryptogonimidae) infecting Lutjanidae and Haemulidae (Perciformes) off Australia . Acta Parasitologica . 53 . 4 . 1 January 2008 . 10.2478/s11686-008-0053-4. 19291276 . free .