Rate My Professor Michelle LaRue

Michelle LaRue is a Professor in the School of Earth and Environment at the University of Canterbury in the Faculty of Science. She holds a PhD in Conservation Biology from the University of Minnesota, an MS in Zoology from Southern Illinois University Carbondale, and a BS in Ecology from Minnesota State University Mankato. Her research specializes in the use of GIS, remote sensing, and high-resolution satellite imagery to study the spatial and population dynamics of polar animals, including emperor penguins, Adélie penguins, Weddell seals, and crabeater seals in Antarctica, as well as species in the Arctic. LaRue serves as a Rutherford Discovery Fellow, investigating metacommunity ecology of predators in the Southern Ocean. She has contributed to global censuses of Antarctic penguins and Weddell seals through satellite-based studies and has conducted research on cougar habitat and dispersal in North America earlier in her career. LaRue is also recognized as an Emmy Award-winning science consultant, notably for the documentary series Secrets of the Penguins, and engages in science communication through public speaking at events such as IdeaCity and the Earth Optimism Summit. Her work emphasizes Antarctic ecology, conservation, biogeography, and the impacts of climate change on Southern Ocean ecosystems.