Mike Cullen (scientist)

Mike Cullen
Born
John Micheal Cullen

(1927-12-13)December 13, 1927
DiedMarch 23, 2001(2001-03-23) (aged 73)
EducationUniversity of Oxford (DPhil)
Scientific career
WorkplacesUniversity of Oxford
Monash University
ThesisA study of the behaviour of the Arctic tern (Sterna macrura) (1956)
Doctoral students
John Krebs

John Michael Cullen (14 December 1927 – 23 March 2001) was an Australian ornithologist, of English origin.


Education

Cullen began his academic career by studying mathematics at the University of Oxford where he was a student at Wadham College, Oxford, but later switched to zoology, spending time at the Edward Grey Institute of Field Ornithology while investigating the ecology of marsh tits.[citation needed] He subsequently was awarded a PhD for work with Niko Tinbergen studying the behaviour of arctic terns on the Farne Islands off the coast of Northumberland.

Career and research

In 1976 he moved to Australia, to Monash University in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. There he was involved in an investigation of Abbott's booby on Christmas Island which was threatened by phosphate mining. He served on the Field Investigation Committee of the Royal Australasian Ornithologists Union (RAOU) for which he organised the Rolling Bird Survey project. However, he is best known for long-term studies of the little penguin at Phillip Island and in Port Phillip Bay at St Kilda, Victoria, in collaboration with Pauline Reilly and others.

His former doctoral students include John Krebs and he mentored Richard Dawkins.

References

  1. 1 2 Krebs, John Richard (1970). A study of territorial behaviour in the Great tit Parus major L. ox.ac.uk (DPhil thesis). University of Oxford. OCLC 44837627. ProQuest 1937374303.
  2. ↑ Dann, Peter. (2002). Obituary. Professor J. Michael (Mike) Cullen, 14 December 1927 - 23 March 2001. VWSG Bulletin 25: 92–93.
  3. ↑ Robin, Libby. (2001). The Flight of the Emu: a hundred years of Australian ornithology 1901-2001. Carlton, Vic. Melbourne University Press. ISBN 0-522-84987-3
  4. 1 2 Dawkins, Richard (2008). "Tribute to a Beloved Mentor: Eulogy to J Michael Cullen (1927-2001) spoken at his Memorial Service in Wadham College Chapel, Oxford, 13th November 2001". richarddawkins.net. Archived from the original on 25 May 2008.
  5. ↑ Krebs, John; Dawkins, Richard (2001). "Obituary: Mike Cullen: The unsung hero of a golden age in the development of understanding of animal behaviour". theguardian.com. London: The Guardian.
  6. ↑ Cullen, John Michael (1956). A study of the behaviour of the Arctic tern (Sterna macrura). ox.ac.uk (DPhil thesis). University of Oxford. OCLC 49653084. ProQuest 2197968369.