Luke Rendell

Luke Rendell is a Professor in Biology at the University of St Andrews, where he holds multiple affiliations including the Scottish Ocean Institute, Sea Mammal Research Unit, Centre for Biological Diversity, Centre for Social Learning and Cognitive Evolution, and the Institute of Behavioural and Neural Sciences. His academic title of Reader (equivalent to Professor in the US system) reflects his senior status within the university.

Dr. Rendell's research program centers on the evolution of learning, behavior, and communication in marine mammals. He has conducted extensive work on sperm whale society and ecology, demonstrating how long-lasting social groups use distinctive vocal dialects that appear culturally transmitted. His research spans culture in whales and dolphins, learning in archerfish, human social learning, and evolutionary modeling. Through the East Coast Marine Mammal Acoustic Study (ECOMMAS), he deploys passive listening buoys along the Scottish coastline to monitor windfarm impacts on marine mammals.

His recent publications reveal a strong focus on cetacean culture, vocal communication, and conservation. His work increasingly integrates machine learning with traditional bioacoustics to analyze whale communication patterns. There's a clear trend toward examining the conservation implications of cultural transmission in marine mammals, particularly how cultural knowledge affects population resilience to environmental changes.

• Supervised 9 PhD students to completion since 2009
• Principal Investigator on multiple research grants from Scottish Funding Council, Leverhulme Trust, and NERC
• Co-author of the influential book "The Cultural Lives of Whales and Dolphins"

Dr. Rendell maintains active science communication efforts through projects like "Sea Symphonies" that blend marine science with artistic expression. His work contributes to UN Sustainable Development Goals related to life below water and biodiversity conservation.