Nathan Jay Baker

Biography

Nathan has a passion for the preservation of the natural environment, a passion underpinned by a struggle of utmost importance, a struggle to find a balance between human needs and our ongoing existence with nature. This passion has led to Nathan completing an MSc degree in the field of aquatic health in his home country of South Africa. His intention as a scientist is to link the importance of conservation with that of aquatic systems because the animals and/or specific groups of organisms we find in these systems can aid in determining their quality and viability for human utilization and enjoyment. Nathan has recently obtained his PhD in Germany where he focused on 'Disentangling the effects of environmental drivers on the structure and function of macroinvertebrate communities within boreal streams'. Now, as a post-doctoral researcher, Nathan finds himself in Lithuania where his main aim is to integrate taxonomic, functional, and [phylo]genetic diversity through statistical and ecological explorations. Questions about how and why global biodiversity is changing through time and space provide the foundation of his research. It is through integrative science that Nathan believes he may further unlock the secrets of complex ecological systems and potentially elucidate how better to protect them.