Kenneth Lohmann, Ph.D.

Charles P. Postelle, Jr. Distinguished Professor of Biology

E-mail: KLohmann (at) email.unc (dot) edu

Phone: (919) 843-4508

Education

Ph.D. University of Washington
M.S. University of Florida
B.S. Duke University

Postdoctoral Training:
University of Illinois
Marine Biological Laboratory, Woods Hole, Massachusetts (Grass Fellow in Neurophysiology)
University of Washington Friday Harbor Laboratories

Research Interests

  • Geomagnetic imprinting and natal homing in sea turtles, salmon, and other long-distance ocean migrants
  • Use of Earth’s magnetic field in navigation by animals
  • The physics, neuroscience, and genes underlying magnetic field detection
  • Neuroethology and sensory ecology
  • Conservation physiology, biodiversity, and Galapagos megafauna

Selected Publications

Classes Taught at the University of North Carolina

  • Introduction to Neurobiology (BIOL 450)
  • Biology of Marine Animals (BIOL 475) and lab (BIOL 475L)
  • Previously: Behavioral Neuroscience (BIOL 455)
  • Scientific Writing (Graduate seminar)
  • Biology and Conservation of Sea Turtles (Graduate seminar)
  • Animal Orientation and Navigation (Graduate seminar)
  • Experimental Design (Graduate seminar)
  • Magnetoreception (Graduate seminar)

Recent Public Service

  • President, 2019 International Sea Turtle Symposium
  • Advisory Board, Galapagos Science Center
  • Chair, Development Committee, University of North Carolina Department of Biology
  • Co-editor, Biology of Sea Turtles, volume 3 (published by CRC Press in 2013)
  • Elementary school science education and community outreach

Honors

  • Tanner Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching (2017)
  • Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (2014)
  • UNC Tri-Beta Professor of the Year for Excellence in the Teaching of Biology (2014)
  • Fellow of the Royal Institute of Navigation, United Kingdom (2011)
  • Charles P. Postelle, Jr. Distinguished Professor of Biology (2010)
  • University of North Carolina Academy of Distinguished Teaching Scholars (2000)
  • L. G. Hoggard Distinguished Term Professor (1999-2004)
  • Tanner Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching (1996)
  • Hettleman Prize for Scholarly and Artistic Achievement by Young Faculty (1995)

Recent Invited Research Presentations, Symposium Talks, and Public Lectures

  • Journal of Experimental Biology Symposium “Linking Brain and Behavior in Animal Navigation”; Cavo Olympo, Plaka Litochoro, Greece (2018)
  • International Sea Turtle Symposium; Kobe, Japan (2018)
  • Department of Biology, University of North Carolina at Pembroke (2017)
  • International Sea Turtle Symposium; Las Vegas, Nevada (2017)
  • Society for Integrative and Comparative Biology; New Orleans, Louisiana (January, 2017)
  • Winter Animal Behavior Conference; Steamboat Springs, Colorado (January, 2017)
  • International Titisee Conference on Molecules and Mechanisms of Magneto, Thermo, and Mechanosensation; Titisee, Black Forest, Germany (November, 2016).
  • Lund University Sensory Ecology Class (international graduate class in Lund, Sweden) (October, 2016)
  • University of North Carolina Biology External Advisory Board (October, 2016)
  • Community Public Lecture, Puerto Baquerizo Moreno; San Cristobal, Galapagos Islands, Ecuador (June, 2016)
  • Society for Integrative and Comparative Biology; Portland, Oregon (January, 2016)
  • Winter Animal Behavior Conference; Steamboat Springs, Colorado (January, 2016)
  • Animal Navigation Symposium, Royal Institute of Navigation; Egham, England (2016)
  • Symposium on Physiology, Behavior, and Ecology of Fish Navigation; American Fisheries Society Meeting; Portland, Oregon (2015)
  • Department of Biological Sciences, Purdue University; West Lafayette, Indiana (February, 2015)
  • Lund University Sensory Ecology Class (international graduate class in Lund, Sweden) (October, 2014)
  • National Institute of Aquatic Resources, Danish Technical University; Silkeborg, Denmark (October, 2014)
  • Keynote address, Ocean Tracking Symposium, American Society of Fisheries; Quebec City, Quebec, Canada (August, 2014)
  • Department of Biology, Wake Forest University; Winston-Salem, North Carolina (April, 2014)
  • Elise Newell Seminar Series, Public Lecture, Barrier Island Center; Melbourne Beach, Florida (February, 2014)
  • Elise Newell Seminar Series, University of Central Florida; Orlando, Florida (February, 2014)
  • Society for Integrative and Comparative Biology; Austin, Texas (January, 2014)
  • DownUnder Scuba Club; Durham, North Carolina (September, 2013)
  • Keynote address, Bio-navigation Symposium, Royal Institute of Navigation; Royal Holloway College in Egham, England (April, 2013)