I’m a Canadian ecologist and conservation biologist based at the Natural History Museum in Tring and London, where I’m Principal Curator and Curator in Charge of the Bird Group. I’ve spent more than 20 years studying seabirds, marine plastic pollution, and the environmental health of remote oceanic islands — conducting fieldwork across Canada, Alaska, the South Atlantic, the South Pacific, and the Arctic — and translating that research into peer-reviewed science, policy engagement, and public communication.

My research career began in Atlantic Canada and has taken me from the tundra of northern Labrador to remote Pacific islands with no permanent human population. Along the way I’ve accumulated more than 200 peer-reviewed publications, led community-based research partnerships with Indigenous governments, and helped establish some of the longest-running marine pollution monitoring datasets in the world. I co-lead Adrift Lab, a research cooperative studying plastic pollution and its impacts on marine wildlife in Australia and the South Pacific.

Alongside the science, I write about birds for audiences from five-year-olds to fellow researchers — published work includes Birds: A Day in the Life (Neon Squid/Macmillan) and contributions to major illustrated titles from Phaidon Press and Nosy Crow. I’m also a stage actor and improvisor of more than 15 years, and I deliver workshops on science communication and LGBTQ+ inclusion in STEM to university departments, research institutes, and corporate organisations.

I hold a PhD in biology from Memorial University of Newfoundland, an MSc from the University of New Brunswick, and a BSc (Honours) from Mount Allison University.

Current Roles

Principal Curator & Curator in Charge, Bird Group — Natural History Museum, Tring & London, UK (2017–present)

Co-Lead — Adrift Lab (ongoing)

Associate Editor — Seabird (2022–present)

Earlier Career

Before joining the NHM, I was Senior Conservation Scientist at the RSPB Centre for Conservation Science (2014–2017), where I worked on species-at-risk assessment, monitoring programme design, and international conservation partnerships. Prior to that I held NSERC postdoctoral and visiting fellowships at the University of Saskatchewan and Environment Canada (2011–2014), focusing on ecotoxicology and wildlife health.

I was the co-chair of LGBTQ+ STEM from 2017-2024, and am the former Editor-in-Chief of Avian Conservation and Ecology (2018-2025).

I’ve held honorary or adjunct appointments at the University of Saskatchewan, the University of Tasmania, and the University of the Highlands and Islands.

Get in Touch

For scientific consultancy — project design, academic writing, or manuscript consultancy, expert review, monitoring programmes, or Indigenous and community-based research partnerships — visit the Scientific Consultancy page.

For writing, editorial, or fact-checking work — children’s and popular nonfiction — visit the Writing & Consultancy page.

For speaking and workshops — science communication, improv-based training, or LGBTQ+ inclusion in STEM — visit the Speaking & Communication page.

For all other enquiries: Email: alex@alexanderbond.org NHM email: a.bond@nhm.ac.uk