Honorary doctorate 2021: Professor Peter L. Tyack (Faculty of Natural Sciences and Faculty of Technical Sciences)
Peter L. Tyack (born 1953) is professor of marine mammal biology at the University of St Andrews, Scotland and Senior Scientist at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution in the United States. He is the world’s leading expert in how anthropogenic sound affects the behaviour and communication of marine mammals. Tyack’s research and his conviction that decisions must be based on solid science have had enormous resonance outside academia. He has testified before the American Congress several times, advised and headed numerous government commissions and NGOs, and his research has critically shaped the development ofnoise abatement and legislation worldwide.
Tyack is an excellent communicator, and has presented his work to a popular audience in National Geographic as well as through TedTalks and several radio and TV documentaries, among other channels. As the human impact on the marine environment has continued to increase, Tyack’s work has received considerable attention, both from the global scientific community and the press.
Tyack has had ties to Aarhus University for over 30 years. He has collaborated closely with the Department of Biology in particular, both as a researcher and an educator. Currently, Tyack and the department are working on a major research project funded by the American navy to study echolocation in toothed whales.