Lewis George Halsey
Contact
Work Address: Centre for Ornithology, School of Biosciences, University of Birmingham,
Edgbaston, B15 2TT, U.K.
Work Tel.: +44 (0)121 414 5925
Mob. Tel.: +44 (0)7779 784523
Email: l.g.halsey@bham.ac.uk
Webpage: http://www.biosciences.bham.ac.uk/labs/butler/Lewis%201.htm
Education
and Academic
Qualifications
2000-2003. University of Birmingham
Ph. D ‘The behavioural physiology of diving animals …’.
 Experimental research with tufted ducks based on respirometric measurements,
including method design, data collection and analysis, blood sampling, food nutrition
analysis, publication of findings in peer-reviewed journals. Also involved theoretical
research including extensive comparative analyses of diving data obtained from the
current literature.
1996-2000. University of Nottingham
1999-2000. M.Sc., Environmental Management.
1996-1999. B.Sc. (Honours) First class, Behavioural Science.
1989-1996. Dartford Grammar School
 ‘A’ levels: Biology A, Physics B, Geography B, General Studies A; ‘AS’ Psychology A.
 9 GCSEs A* to B.
Recent
Career
History
2006-present. University of Birmingham
Honorary Fellow.
Research presently being undertaken and research pending for next year:
 Completing work outstanding from my postdoctoral research on king penguins,
including a period of manuscript writing at CNRS Strasbourg.
 Undertaking laboratory based research at The University of British Columbia,
Vancouver, on the energetics of deep diving cormorants.
 Research into the scaling physiology of fish in terms of energetics and ecology.
 Studying the effectiveness of accelerometry loggers as a proxy for specific energetic
costs in Tamar wallabies at La Trobe University, Melbourne.
 Work using body acceleration to ascertain specific energetic costs of vertebrate
species inhabiting Ushuaia, with The Univesity of Wales, Swansea.
2004-2006. University of Birmingham
Postdoctoral Research Fellow studying the behavioural energetics of king penguin.
The overarching aim of the research is to assess the validity of using king penguins as
‘bio-indicators’ of changes in the resources of the Southern Oceans. These changes
are occurring either due to the fishing industry and / or global climate change. The work
included:
 Two field seasons at Crozet Archipelago, involving; monitoring and handling penguins,
undertaking experiments on penguins in the field, manipulating data loggers,
respirometric measurements, rapid analysis of newly obtained data, development and
maintenance of laboratory equipment, regular adaptations to timetables and protocols
in response to rapidly changing situations in the field e.g. weather conditions or
technical issues.
 Field surgery e.g. laparotomies for the implantation of physiological data loggers,
under gas anaesthesia.
 Constantly developing new techniques to manipulate and analyse ever developing
data logging devices, used to measure penguin behavioural-physiology.
 Working with a French speaking community at the field station for several months.
 Preparation and analyses of large data sets using custom built programs.
 Collaborating with an international team of researchers, regularly meeting with these
colleagues both at home and abroad, leading the majority of the collaborative work.
 Dissemination of results through peer-reviewed publications, both specialist and wide
interest, popular articles, conference seminars and local talks.
Awards
2006 La Trobe University Institute for Advanced Study Fellowship, to research the validity
of using accelerometry loggers to ascertain the energetic costs of locomotion in
Tamar wallabies in Melbourne, Australia (£800).
2006 In house travel fund to visit The University of Wales, Swansea to analyse
accelerometry data (£200).
2006 Journal of Experimental Biology Travelling Fellowship, shared with Dr Craig White,
for a collaborative visit to work on the energetics of diving in cormorants
(Phalacrocorax auritus) at The University of British Columbia, Canada (£2440).
2005 MRC/EPSRC Institutional Discipline Bridging Award as a BIBEMS (Birmingham
Interdisciplinary Bridging in Eng. Med. & Sci.) travel grant to develop and
implement data analysis techniques at The Université Louis Pasteur and CEPE CNRS (Centre for Ecological & Physiological Energetics - French Research
Council), Strasbourg, France (£1380).
2005 Society of Experimental Biology travel grant to undertake fieldwork on common
marmosets (Callithryx jacchus) in Pernaumbuco State, Brazil (£250).
2005 In house travel fund to undertake fieldwork on common marmosets in
Pernaumbuco State, Brazil (£250).
2004 Society of Experimental Biology travel grant to undertake general fieldwork Brazil
(£200).
2003 Association for the Study of Animal Behaviour travel grant to attend the XXVIII
International Ethological Conference, Florianópolis, Brazil (£500).
2002 Society of Experimental Biology travel grant to attend the 23rd International
Ornithological Congress, Beijing, China (£400).
2002 In house travel grant to attend the 23rd International Ornithological Congress,
Beijing, China (£200).
2002 American Physiological Society travel grant to attend the The American Physiology
Society Conference, San Diego, U.S.A. (£300).
2001 NERC funding to attend the Earth Systems Science Summer School at the
University of East Anglia (£700).
1999 University of Nottingham Academic Excellence Scholarship to support Masters
students (£5800).
Relevant
Work History
2003-2004. University of Birmingham
‘Free-lance’ research.
I undertook part time administrative work in the School of Biosciences (see later) on
agreement that this would fund continuation of my research after the completion of my
Ph. D. Furthermore, that the School would provide necessary office space and resources.
The research involved:
 Study on the buoyancy in diving ducks based at Konrad Lorenz Institute, Vienna.
 Lead collaborator for expansive studies on the allometrics and phylogenetics of diving
species, deriving and applying allometric equations.
 Collaborations with Brazilian ethologists on dolphin behaviour and primate cognition,
undertaking fieldwork and data analysis in Pernambuco State, Brazil.
School Administrator.
 Organising remedial tutoring for students as part of a Widening participation scheme
in the School of Biosciences at The University of Birmingham.
 Selecting suitable postgraduates to tutor students.
 Liaising with tutees and their departmental tutors, compiling feedback for the School.
 My own one to one and group tuition of students.
 Gave guided tours of the University and Birmingham City to prospective students.
Recent Positions of Responsibility:
 Tutor at Halls of Residence ‘00-‘06 – providing pastoral care for undergraduates.
 Registered as a scientific expert on the global news services Eurekalert! and
Alphagalileo to provide information on specialist scientific areas.
 Laboratory class demonstrating ’00-’04 (Animal diversity and behaviour, Evolution,
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Metabolism and cellular regulation, Integrated whole animal behaviour, Human
evolution, Physiology and development).
Supervision of final year project students ’00-‘04.
Membership of the following professional societies: Society of Experimental Biology,
Association for the Study of Animal Behaviour, American Physiological Society,
American Society of Naturalists.
Holder of Home Office personal licence for conducting scientific procedures on animals
(Act 1986) - passed training programme and exams.
Reviewer for
Journals
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Journal of Experimental Biology
The Ibis
Animal Behaviour
The American Naturalist
Antarctic Science
Marine Ecology Progress Series
Comparative Physiology and Biochemistry
Physiological and Biochemical Zoology
Respiration Physiology and Neurobiology
Journal of Animal Ecology
I.T. and
Statistical
Skills
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Fluent in Microsoft Word, Excel, Powerpoint, FrontPage.
Internet fluency
Basic programming skills in both Matlab and LabVIEW.
Competent with the statistical software packages Minitab, JMP, StatistXL and Prism.
Familiar with both conventional and phylogenetically informed (CAIC) statistical
methods
Publications
Scientific Papers (peer reviewed):
Halsey LG, White CR, Fahlman A, Handrich Y, Butler PJ (In Press) Estimating onshore
energetics in penguins; theory, application and ecological implications. Comparative
Biochemistry and Physiology.
Halsey LG (In Press) ‘Travesties of Justice’: The noise to signal ratio in Association
Football. Soccer and Society. 8(1).
Halsey LG, Fahlman A, Handrich Y, Schmidt A, Woakes AJ, Butler PJ (In Press) How
accurately can we estimate energetic costs in a marine top predator, the king penguin?
Zoology.
Halsey LG, Blackburn TM, Butler PJ (In Press) A comparative analysis of the diving
behaviour of birds and mammals. Functional Ecology.
Bost CA, Handrich Y, Butler PJ, Fahlman A, Halsey LG, Woakes AJ, Ropert-Coudert Y (In
Press) Change in dive profiles as an indicator of feeding success in king and Adélie
penguins. Deep-Sea Research II.
Halsey LG, Butler PJ (In Press) Optimal diving behaviour and respiratory gas exchange in
birds. Respiration Physiology and Neurobiology.
Wilson RP, White CR, Quintana F, Halsey LG, Liebsch N, Martin GR, Butler PJ (2006)
Moving towards acceleration for estimates of activity-specific metabolic rate in free-living
animals: the case of the cormorant. Journal of Animal Ecology. 75: 1081-1090.
Halsey LG, Bezerra BM, Souto AS (2006) Can wild common marmosets (Callithrix
jacchus) solve the parallel strings task? Animal Cognition. 9: 229-233.
Halsey LG, Butler PJ, Blackburn TM (2006) A phylogenetic analysis of the allometry of
diving. American Naturalist. 167(2): 276-287 (with online enhancements).
Halsey LG, Brand OJ, Woakes AJ, Butler PJ (2006) Experiments on single diving animals
in the laboratory often measure dives of decreased effort. Ibis. 148: 164-166.
Fahlman A, Halsey LG, Butler PJ, Jones DR, Schmidt A, Durand S, Froget G, Bost C-A,
Woakes AJ, Duchamp C, Handrich Y (2005) Accounting for body condition improves
allometric estimates of resting metabolic rates in fasting king penguin, Aptenodytes
patagonicus. Polar Biology. 29: 609-614.
Green JA, Halsey LG, Butler PJ (2005) To what extent is the foraging behaviour of aquatic
birds constrained by their physiology? Physiological and Biochemical Zoology. 78: 766-781.
Halsey LG, Wallace SE, Woakes AJ, Winkler, H, Butler, PJ (2005) Tufted ducks Aythya
fuligula do not control buoyancy during diving. Journal of Avian Biology. 36: 261-267.
Halsey LG, Butler PJ, Woakes AJ (2005) Breathing hypoxic gas affects the physiology as
well as the diving behaviour in tufted ducks. Physiological and Biochemical Zoology. 78(2):
273-284.
Halsey LG, Reed JZ, Woakes AJ, Butler PJ (2003) The influence of oxygen and carbon
dioxide on diving behaviour of tufted ducks, (Aythya fuligula). Physiological and
Biochemical Zoology. 76(4): 436-446.
Halsey LG, Woakes AJ, Butler PJ (2003) Testing optimal foraging models for air-breathing
divers. Animal Behaviour. 65: 641-653.
Halsey L (2002) Ultimate divers. Biologist (London) (4 Sept) 49: 161-164.
Parkes R, Halsey LG, Woakes AJ, Holder RL, Butler PJ (2002) Oxygen uptake during post
dive recovery in a diving bird (Aythya fuligula): implications for optimal foraging models.
Journal of Experimental Biology. 205: 3945-3954.
Other Publications:
Halsey LG (2005) Pick up a penguin. Planet Earth. (Summer): 16-17.
Halsey LG (2005) Tales from the bush. BBC Wildlife Magazine. (August) 23(8): 90.
Fenn E, Halsey L (2003) Fish in extremes. Society of Experimental Biology Bulletin. (July):
20-21.
Halsey L (2002) Take a deep breath… Planet Earth. (Winter): 16-19.
Also published in adjusted form in:
Halsey L (2003) Take a deep breath… The Marine Observer 73(361): 116-119.
Press Releases:
Halsey LG, Butler PJ, Blackburn TM (2006) A phylogenetic analysis of the allometry of
diving. American Naturalist. www.journals.uchicago.edu/AN/papers.html
Conference
Presentations
Contributed papers:
White CR*, Halsey LG, Martin GR, Butler PJ (2006) Wading, walking, waddling: the
energetics of terrestrial locomotion in birds. Journal of Ornithology 147(5,1): 101. 24th
International Ornithological Congress, Hamburg, Germany.
Bost CA*, Handrich Y, Butler PJ, Halsey LG, Cotte C, Ropert-Coudert Y (2006) Feeding
behaviour of penguins, a three dimensional approach. Journal of Ornithology 147(5,1): 64.
24th International Ornithological Congress, Hamburg, Germany.
White CR*, Halsey LG, Butler PJ, Martin GR (2005) Kinematic and morphological
correlates of the postural and net transport costs of pedestrian locomotion in birds. 22nd
Annual Meeting of the Australian and New Zealand Society for Comparative Physiology
and Biochemistry, Dunedin, New Zealand.
Souto AS, Bezerra, BM*, Halsey LG (2005) Performance do sagui comum (Callithrix
jacchus) em seu ambiente natural em solucionar o teste com fios paralelos: uma questão
de individualidade e aprendizado. XI Congresso Brasileiro de Primatologia livro de
resumos, Porto Alegre, Brazil.
[Performance of the common marmoset (Callithrix jacchus) in its natural environment in
solving the parallel strings test: A question of individuality and learning]
Butler PJ*, Green JA, Halsey LG (2004) To what extent is foraging behaviour of aquatic
birds constrained by their physiology? Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology Part A.
137: S24. Society for Experimental Biology Annual Meeting, Edinburgh, U.K..
Halsey LG*, Woakes AJ, Butler PJ (2003) The influence of oxygen and carbon dioxide on
diving behaviour of tufted ducks, Aythya fuligula. Revista de Etologia Suplemento 5:100.
XXVIII International Ethological Conference, Florianópolis, Brazil.
Poster presentations:
Butler PJ*, Halsey LG (2006) Diving (ventilatory) behaviour of aquatic birds. Xth Oxford
Conference on Modelling and Control of Breathing, Lake Louise, Alberta, Canada.
Halsey LG*, White CR, Handrich Y, Butler PJ (2006) Estimating pedestrian energetics in
penguins. Journal of Ornithology 147(5,1): 177. 24th International Ornithological Congress,
Hamburg, Germany.
Halsey LG*, Parkes R, Butler PJ, Woakes AJ (2002) Can diving optimality models
accurately predict the behaviour of avian divers? 23rd International Ornithological
Congress, Beijing, China.
Halsey L*, Butler P, Woakes A (2002) Can diving optimality models predict adjustments in
the diving behaviour of tufted ducks? [including pre-poster session short talk] The
Physiologist 45(4): 332. The Power of Comparative Physiology: Evolution, Integration, and
Application, San Diego, U.S.A..
Halsey LG*, Butler PJ and Woakes AJ (2002) Can diving optimality models predict
adjustments in the diving behaviour of tufted ducks? Comparative Biochemistry and
Physiology Part A 132: S31. Society for Experimental Biology Annual Meeting, Swansea,
U.K..
* Presenting author
Departmental
Seminars
(2001) The energetics of optimal foraging in tufted ducks. University of Birmingham, U.K.
(2003) Respiration in diving ducks. Implications for optimality models. University of
Birmingham, U.K.
(2005) Ultimate Divers. The Federal University of Pernambuco, Brazil.
Research
Interests
My general interests are in the areas of behavioural and physiological ecology and
comparative physiology. To date, my main research has covered three topics, all of which
concern the diving biology of aquatic birds: the respiratory physiology and behaviour of
tufted ducks (with Professor Pat Butler and Dr Tony Woakes at the University of
Birmingham), the relationships between the behaviour, ecology and energetics of diving
king penguins (also with Dr Yves Handrich of the Institut Pluridisciplinaire Hubert Curien in
Strasbourg) and the scaling of diving variables across a broad range of diving
homeotherms (alongside Professor Tim Blackburn at Birmingham).
My recent postdoctoral fellowship, studying king penguins, has also provided me with the
opportunity to investigate the energetics of this species while onshore, coupled with gait
analysis during pedestrian locomotion. Furthermore, I have begun to study this species
from a molecular standpoint, investigating uncoupling protein homologues and their
changing expressions with nutritional state. I have also been able to develop a number of
other research interests, in the main through a collaboration with the Federal University of
Pernambuco in Brazil, including the cognitive and vocal behaviour of common marmosets,
the schooling behaviour of marine tucuxi and the affects of alcohol on human perception of
asymmetry.
The University of Birmingham has a very strong research pedigree in the use of remotely
recorded heart rate data to obtain information on the energetics of a diverse range of
species. I believe that a detailed understanding of the energetic costs of behaviours is vital
to understanding ecological processes thoroughly. While I have applied the heart rate
technique to my studies on the energetics of king penguins, very recently I have begun to
explore the possibilities of using a different proxy for energy expenditure. It is well known
that accelerometry loggers attached to the back of a person measure body motion, which,
like heart rate, can be calibrated with metabolic rate. Body motion data have the added
advantage that they also record the behaviour of the subject as signatures within the data
trace, thus providing a detailed and automated record of activity. Recently, I was involved
in a seminal study alongside Professor Rory Wilson of the University of Wales, Swansea,
and Dr Craig White at Birmingham, to test the validity of accelerometry data for accurately
recording behaviours and estimating their specific energy costs in active animals; two
species of cormorant. The work confirmed the potential of this technique. A major, longterm research goal for me is to develop this technique alongside the heart rate method for
use with a wide range of animals in the field, both terrestrial and aquatic, ultimately without
the need for prior, species-specific calibrations of the loggers. This will enable field
ecologists to obtain much needed detailed behavioural time budget data and specific
energetics data on their subject species with little logistical difficulty. The versatility of this
technique for answering a wide range of important questions will ensure that ethology,
ecology and also comparative physiology continue to be the broad themes of my main
research interests.
Member of Warwickshire County Badminton Team ’01-present.
Member of Stade Francaise Badminton Team, Paris ’04-present.
Chess enthusiast.
Personal
Interests
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Referees
Professor Patrick J. Butler (Ph. D supervisor). Email: p.j.butler@bham.ac.uk
School of Biosciences, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham B15 2TT
Professor Rory P. Wilson (Research colleague). Email: r.p.wilson@swansea.ac.uk
School of Environment and Society, University of Wales Swansea, Singleton Park,
Swansea SA2 8PP
Dr Yves Handrich (Research colleague). Email: yves.handrich@c-strasbourg.fr
Institut Pluridisciplinaire Hubert Curien, UMR 7178 CNRS-ULP, 23 rue Becquerel, F67087 Strasbourg, Cedex 02, France
Professor Tim M. Blackburn (Research colleague). Email: t.blackburn@bham.ac.uk
School of Biosciences, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham B15 2TT