Fascinated by nature for as long as I can remember
I am an Assistant Professor of Life Sciences at the School of Education, University of Iceland. My academic work follows two main directions: the ecology of marine mammals and science education.
In the educational sciences, I focus on the development of higher education, quality in science teaching, outdoor learning, nature connection, and education for sustainability. In marine ecology, my research has concentrated on the behavioural ecology of cetaceans and their acoustic communication. More recently, I have expanded this focus to include physiology — such as body condition, endocrinology, and trophic ecology. My current projects explore the feeding ecology and migration behaviour of baleen whales in rapidly changing ocean environments.
I have extensive teaching experience at the University of Iceland. I began teaching and supervising students during my PhD in 2011, and I have also taught science at the secondary school level since 2007. Beyond formal teaching, I am committed to science communication and have worked with the general public as well as with schoolchildren.
Positions since PhD
| 2021–Ong. | Assistant professor in Biology at the School of Education, University of Iceland |
| 2019–2021 | Post-doctoral research fellow and principal investigator for the project “The Polar Winter Whales: The life history strategy of humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) in the rapidly changing climate of the Polar Regions”, University of Iceland. |
| 2017–2019 | Adjunct Professor in Biology at the School of Education and Faculty of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Iceland |
Education
| 2017 | PhD Biology (232 ECTS) – University of Iceland, Faculty of Life and Environmental Science, Research project (180 ECTS): The singing behaviour of humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) in subarctic waters |
| 2007 | Graduate degree (90 ECTS) – University of Iceland, Faculty of Life and Environmental Science and Faculty of Teacher Education, M.Paed. Research project: Year-round distribution and abundance of white-beaked dolphins (Lagenorhynchus albirostris) off the SW-coast of Iceland. Teaching diploma |
| 2005 | Undergraduate degree (180 ECTS) – University of Iceland, Faculty of Life and Environmental Science, B.Sc. |
Edda Elísabet Magnúsdóttir, PhD 