Statement of Qualifications
Susan Lubetkin, PhD
Susan has over 20 years of experience in environmental statistics and mathematical modeling. Her career spans estuarine food web modeling, whale growth, harmful algal blooms, spill risks from on- and off-shore drilling, hazardous materials spill risks associated with mining, and mine-related changes to fish habitat. She earned a BS in biology at Harvey Mudd College, and her MS and PhD at the University of Washington’s interdisciplinary program Quantitative Ecology and Resource Management. Susan taught applied statistics to fisheries, forestry, and oceanography students at UW and was nominated for a Distinguished Teaching Award.
Selected publications
Peer reviewed studies and book chapters
George, J.C., S. C. Lubetkin, J. E. Zeh, J. G. M. Thewissen, D. Wetzel, and G. Givens. 2021. Chapter 21 - Age estimation. Pp. 309-322 in J. C. George and J. G. M. Thewissen, eds., The Bowhead Whale Balaena mysticetus: Biology and Human Interactions. Academic Press.
Lubetkin, S.C. 2020. The tip of the iceberg: three case studies of spill risk assessments used in environmental impact statements. Marine Pollution Bulletin. Available online January 31, 2020. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpolbul.2019.110613
Lubetkin, S. C., Zeh, J. E., and George, J. C. 2012. Statistical modeling of baleen and body length at age in bowhead whales (Balaena mysticetus). Canadian Journal of Zoology. 90: 915-931.
Lubetkin, S. C., Zeh, J. E., Rosa, C., and George, J. C. 2008. Age estimation for young bowhead whales (Balaena mysticetus) using annual baleen growth increments. Canadian Journal of Zoology. 86: 525-538.
Lubetkin, S. C. and Simenstad, C. A. 2004. Two multi-source mixing models using conservative tracers to estimate food web sources and pathways. Journal of Applied Ecology 41: 996-1008.
Schindler, D. E. and Lubetkin, S. C. 2004. Using stable isotopes to quantify material transport through food webs. Pp. 25-42 in Gary A. Polis, Mary E. Power, and Gary R. Huxel, eds., Food Webs at the Landscape Level. University of Chicago Press.
Schindler, D.E., Chang, G. C., Lubetkin, S. C., Abella, S. E. B., and Edmondson, W. T. 2002. Rarity and functional importance in a phytoplankton community. Pp. 206-220 in Peter Kareiva and Simon A. Levin, eds., The Importance of Species. Princeton University Press.