Heike Lotze

Heike Lotze is a Professor and Canada Research Chair in Marine Renewable Resources at the Biology Department, Dalhousie University. She holds an MSc (1994) and PhD (1998) from the University of Kiel, followed by postdoctoral research at Dalhousie University and the Alfred-Wegener Institute. Her research focuses on marine ecology, human impacts on marine ecosystems, historical ecological changes, and climate change adaptation.

She teaches courses such as Resource Ecology (BIOL 3063), Marine Biology 4215, and Marine Biology 4350. Her work integrates paleontology, archaeology, fisheries science, and ecological modeling to understand long-term human-induced changes in marine ecosystems. Recent projects include analyzing climate change impacts on fish biomass, seagrass conservation, and climate-resilient marine conservation networks.

She advises multiple graduate students exploring topics like manta ray ecology, shark population trends, and coastal habitat changes. Her publications address biodiversity loss, ecosystem resilience, and policy-driven conservation strategies. She is affiliated with GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research and actively contributes to international research collaborations on marine sustainability.