Tuul Sepp gives inaugural lecture on the impact of anthropogenic environmental change on animal health
22 October, at 16:15, the University of Tartu Professor in Animal Ecology Tuul Sepp will deliver her inaugural lecture "Effects of anthropogenic environmental change on animal health and mitigation possibilities" in the university assembly hall. In the lecture, the professor will discuss how to help bring science closer to society, using examples from her projects.
Anthropogenic environmental changes have reached almost every corner of the globe, causing the shrinkage of natural habitats and populations. Wildlife has become a minority next to human-shaped spaces and the associated biota. To help halt the biodiversity crisis, we need better knowledge about the impact of human-induced environmental changes on animal health. Tuul Sepp is convinced that this knowledge must reach faster from the ivory towers of the scientific world to practical decision-makers and the wider public. “After all, almost every scientist is looking for an answer to the question of how the research they do can make the world a better place,” said the professor.
Light pollution affects the health of baby birds, chemical pollution in the sea causes diseases in fish, and in human-altered environments, even wild animals can develop cancer. Urbanisation causes the fragmentation of the habitats of natural species. Seabirds are affected by climate change, overfishing and water pollution. Many research studies point to what is wrong in nature.
In her inaugural lecture, Tuul Sepp presents her research on urban and marine environments, fish and birds, and animal behaviour and physiology. As an active and esteemed science populariser, she shares her experience communicating research results to society. “Among other things, I will talk about the Tartu Green Circle project, which is my solution to the gradual application of urban ecology research results in practical urban planning. As a solution to people’s low awareness of the endangered status of seabirds, my colleagues and I have created a board game and a comic book about the life of seabirds,” said the professor. In the lecture, Sepp will shed light on the background of these activities and discuss the new skills researchers need to implement such projects.
During her master's and doctoral studies, Tuul Sepp studied bird health indicators in the context of life history theory. In 2012, she defended her doctoral thesis, "Hematological health state indices of greenfinches: sources of individual variation and responses to immune system manipulation". Later, Sepp focused on studying seabirds. From 2016 to 2019, supported by a Marie Skłodowska Curie fellowship, she analysed the effects of urbanisation on birds as a postdoctoral researcher at Arizona State University. During this time, she became interested in studying cancer in wild animals. After returning to Estonia, she established the evolutionary ecophysiology research group at the University of Tartu; the team began exploring the links between marine pollution, fish health, and natural cancer defence mechanisms. Then, she initiated the UrbanLIFEcircles project for urban nature restoration, which helps apply knowledge of urban ecology in urban planning and includes the Tartu Green Circle. In 2023, Tuul Sepp became Professor in Animal Ecology at the University of Tartu.
Tuul Sepp is a member of the University of Tartu council, a founding member of the Estonian Young Academy of Sciences, and a founding member of the European Wildlife Cancer Network WILDCAN. She also belongs to several other decision-making and advisory bodies. She has received the Young Scientist Award from the President of Estonia, the L’Oréal–UNESCO fellowship For Women in Science, and the National Research Award in earth and life sciences. She has been repeatedly recognised for active science communication.
The inaugural lecture aims to give new professors the opportunity to introduce themselves and their fields of research and topics. At the end of the public lecture, the audience is welcome to ask questions. Everyone interested is welcome. The lecture will be streamed in Estonian on UTTV.
