Les Kaufman, Ph.D.

Research

Les Kaufman is a marine scientist and evolutionary ecologist and professor at Boston University. Kaufman’s Pew fellowship project focused on conservation of Lake Victoria, a large lake surrounded by the African countries of Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda. He led a research team that studied Lake Victoria to understand the biology and ecosystems throughout the region. He directed this work to help train a new generation of African scientists living lakeside. As a result of Kaufman’s work, a Lake Victoria Environmental Management Project was established, a comprehensive research program on native fishes was launched, and he produced a field guide on Lake Victoria region cichlids. He also helped conceive a major exhibit on the efforts of African scientists at Lake Victoria that opened in April 2000 at the New England Aquarium, traveled to several other major aquariums in North America, and is now part of education outreach efforts in East Africa.

To learn more about Kaufman, visit his bio online: http://www.bu.edu/ecologyonline/kaufman lab/les.html.