Rate My Professor Miles Lamare

Professor Miles Lamare serves as Head of the Department of Marine Science and Professor at the University of Otago. He earned his BSc (Hons) in botany and zoology and PhD in marine science from the University of Otago in 1997. Following a postdoctoral research position at the University of Washington from 1998 to 2000, he joined the University of Otago as a lecturer in the Department of Marine Science in 2001, advancing to Associate Professor in 2015 and Professor thereafter. Lamare holds additional roles as MSc Coordinator, Kaiawhina – Māori Student Support Liaison, and Chair of the University of Otago Research Grants Life Sciences Panel. He supervises postgraduate students on projects involving environmental DNA, climate responses in Antarctic species, and physiological adaptations in marine invertebrates.

Lamare's research specializes in marine ecology, population biology, marine invertebrate biology, and the ecology and physiology of marine invertebrate larval stages. His expertise centers on the responses of marine taxa to climate change stressors, including ocean warming and acidification, with studies on polar ecosystems, fjord systems, Antarctic biology, echinoderms, brachiopods, molluscs, and benthic communities. He is Principal Investigator for the Antarctic Science Platform project on Ross Sea ecosystem dynamics and responses to 2°C warming (MBIE-funded, 2019–2026), and has led projects funded by Marsden Fund, New Zealand Antarctic Research Institute, and University of Otago Research Grants. Lamare delivered his Inaugural Professorial Lecture, "Marine larvae and ocean change: Little things mean a lot," in 2020. His publication record exceeds 200 peer-reviewed articles, garnering over 6,700 citations. Notable publications include "Environmental DNA (eDNA) metabarcoding reveals strong discrimination among diverse marine habitats connected by water movement" (Molecular Ecology Resources, 2019), "Response of sea urchin pluteus larvae (Echinodermata: Echinoidea) to reduced seawater pH" (Marine Biology, 2009), and "The stunting effect of a high CO2 ocean on calcification and development in sea urchin larvae, a synthesis from the tropics to the poles" (Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B, 2013).