Rowan Kuminski
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rowankuminski.bsky.social
Rowan Kuminski
@rowankuminski.bsky.social
1.8K followers 1.6K following 220 posts
They/them - PhD student - interdisciplinary scientist studying: predation on seabirds, language barriers in ecology, and LGBTQIA+ experiences in ornithology 🏳️‍⚧️🏳️‍🌈
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rowankuminski.bsky.social
Rowan Kuminski @rowankuminski.bsky.social · Nov 12
Hi everyone!
I’m Rowan (they/them) and am a PhD student studying how predation/bycatch affect metapopulation dynamics of seabirds. I also work on several projects to address EDI issues in ecology/ornithology. I love birds but also enjoy making art and learning languages (currently studying Catalan!)
Person smiling in front of a body of water holding binoculars and wearing a black shirt with the words "Nature is Queer" in rainbow and rainbow fauna on it
rowankuminski.bsky.social
When I give talks about seabirds to school kids, their favourite* thing to learn is how old Wisdom is, which allows us to discuss why seabirds live so long and how that helps us study them! Excited to see her back!

*Or maybe 2nd favourite because they LOVE to learn that fulmars vomit at predators 😂
friendsofmidway.bsky.social Friends Of Midway Atoll (FOMA) @friendsofmidway.bsky.social · 6d
#Wisdom is back!
The world’s oldest known living banded bird, Mōlī (Laysan albatross) queen, has returned to Kuailhelani (Midway Atoll). #Birds
November 21, 2025 at 12:02 AM
rowankuminski.bsky.social
Last year I wrote this for Transgender Awareness Week because of the challenges I've faced in my institution. Sharing it again as this week we celebrate trans identities and remember those who have been targeted for being themselves
www.britishecologicalsociety.org/five-steps-t...
Five steps towards being a trans ally - BES
Five steps towards being a trans ally - BES is the largest scientific society for ecologists in Europe. We're working towards a world in which nature and people thrive.
www.britishecologicalsociety.org
November 18, 2025 at 7:08 PM
Reposted by Rowan Kuminski
oxfordbiologylgbtq.bsky.social
Hello bluesky! We are an LGBTQ+ Biology Journal Club at Uni of Oxford 🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️. We are interested in topics relevant to queer ecology and amplifying queer voices in academia 🪲🌱.

For those in Oxford, we meet every 2 weeks - get in touch for more details! 🥳
A cartoon of 2 rhinocerous beetles clashing. One beetle is saying "I'm just trying to kiss you!" and the other beetle is saying "I'm just trying to kiss you too!". Above them is text reading LGBTQ+ Journal Club in the colours of the progress pride flag.
October 14, 2025 at 3:03 PM
rowankuminski.bsky.social
A reminder that as Thanksgiving approaches and with the current events in the US, now is a great time to donate to your local food bank! There are so many that do great work, but if you need a place to start, my family and I donate to the Community Food Bank of New Jersey!

cfbnj.org
Community FoodBank of New Jersey - Providing Food, Help & Hope - CFBNJ
The Community FoodBank of New Jersey is NJ’s largest anti-hunger organization. Learn more about our mission & how we help our hungry neighbors.
cfbnj.org
November 14, 2025 at 5:20 PM
Reposted by Rowan Kuminski
bou.org.uk
Same view through a different lens: Comparing population trends for North American birds using eBird and the Breeding Bird Survey | doi.org/10.1093/orni... | Ornithological Applications | #ornithology 🪶
November 13, 2025 at 10:43 AM
rowankuminski.bsky.social
After several years and 10,000 papers, last night I finished extractions for my thesis synthesis chapter on seabird predation! Got myself some lovely flowers and celebrated with the friends who supported me throughout this chapter! 🎉
A photo of four cocktails on a black counter: three in martini glasses and one in a whiskey glass Photo of two vases of pink and white flowers on a white window sill. The vase on the left is brown and blur witu white stripes, and the vase on the left is yellow on top and white on the bottom
November 13, 2025 at 10:27 AM
Reposted by Rowan Kuminski
rspbscience.bsky.social
We're hiring 🧪🌍

Two amazing senior science opportunities in Northern Ireland

Seabird Scientist: Tagging, tracking and monitoring to inform marine policy in NI
tinyurl.com/yeuw5znd

Conservation Scientist: Restoration of key habitats and priority species
tinyurl.com/4rj43dfp
A Marsh Fritillary butterfly basks in the sun.
October 29, 2025 at 11:10 AM
Reposted by Rowan Kuminski
science.org
When asked to draw a scientist, school-age kids in the United States are increasingly sketching women, according to a study from 2018.

Read more on #STEMSTEAMDay: https://scim.ag/4qFrPON
A child's drawing of a female scientist, with the text: What does a scientist look like? Children are drawing women more than ever before
November 8, 2025 at 4:11 PM
rowankuminski.bsky.social
No matter how big he gets, Ebro is committed to providing cuddles and support while I work on my thesis 💙
A Small spaniel puppy curled up in the crossed legs of someone wearing navy blue leggings and sitting in a yellow desk chair. The puppy is white with black ears and spots, and brown flecked muzzle and paws A four month old larger puppy in the lap of someone wearing black leggings and a grey sweatshirt, sitting with their legs crossed. The puppy is lying on his back, and is white with brown flecks on his paws and face, with black ears and flecks on his head
November 8, 2025 at 5:44 PM
rowankuminski.bsky.social
Colour me shocked.

www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
'Power struggles and toxic culture' at University of Aberdeen - BBC News
A review says the structure at the University of Aberdeen is "overly complex and lacking clarity".
www.bbc.co.uk
November 5, 2025 at 11:15 PM
rowankuminski.bsky.social
Having a wee celebration tonight after waking up to (for the first time in a while) wonderful/hopeful news out of my home country and state (New Jersey)! 💙🌊
A photo of a small bottle of pink rose prosecco, on a wooden surface with a white wall in the background
November 5, 2025 at 5:06 PM
rowankuminski.bsky.social
Been saving up for this book for a while and today it finally arrived! 😍 I've been working on a few projects on birds and linguistic imperialism in Catalonia so I'm really excited for this one!
A photo of the book "Atles dels Ocells Nidoficants de Catalunya", a white book with a realistic drawing of two turtle doves tending to a nest, with three map examples in the top right side of the book
November 4, 2025 at 2:40 PM
rowankuminski.bsky.social
Happy Halloween from Ebro!
A brown dog with white flecks sitting covered with a white sheet to resemble a ghost; holes are cut out for his eyes and snout. He is sitting on a wooden floor with a white wall in the background
October 31, 2025 at 3:31 PM
Reposted by Rowan Kuminski
jappliedecology.bsky.social
🚨 Did you miss yesterday's webinar on 'Understanding the policy context of Integrated Nature-Climate Action'? 🚨

Don't fret! 🌎🧪

You can watch the full presentations and discussion over on our YouTube: youtu.be/KuytewU1-Vs?...
Understanding the policy context of Integrated Nature-Climate Action: Webinar
YouTube video by Journal of Applied Ecology
youtu.be
October 30, 2025 at 4:21 PM
rowankuminski.bsky.social
Ebro is taking over my home office one piece of furniture at a time, despite the big comfy bed I bought him that sits right under my desk 😅
A spaniel puppy witu a brown and white speckled face and black ears with black spots around his eyes, and a white patch on his head, lying with his head resting on a person's leg, wearing black leggings, on a yellow chair. A white spaniel puppy with a brown face, black ears, and white patch on his head, lying down on the bottom shelf of a dark blue bookcase. Books have been removed from the bottom shelf, but some books are visible on the shelf above
October 27, 2025 at 9:04 PM
Reposted by Rowan Kuminski
wildanimalinitv.bsky.social
📢 #CFP: Wild Animal Initiative is accepting grant applications for projects studying wild animal welfare.

🗓️ Submit your EOI form by November 14 to be considered.

🧪 #wildlife #biology #zoology #ecoevo #animalbehavior #animalbehaviour #physiology #conservation #science
Grants — Wild Animal Initiative
We have an open call for proposals on all grant types. Learn how to apply.
buff.ly
October 20, 2025 at 12:15 PM
Reposted by Rowan Kuminski
ggnanadesikan.bsky.social
The Women of Color in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology community (WOCinEEB; non-binary inclusive) is doing another round of matching for one-on-one mentorship!

You can sign up here: forms.gle/Cfk3Y5CZksSS...

I'm also happy to answer any questions!

#Mentorship #Ecology #EvolutionaryBiology
WOC in EEB mentorship sign up form 2025
forms.gle
October 15, 2025 at 7:18 PM
Reposted by Rowan Kuminski
altmetric.com
PODCASTS

Altmetric now tracks podcasts mentioning research

In 2018 there were roughly 500,000 podcasts in existence. Just 3 years later that number was 2 million. Today it's around 4 million.

Amid all the Squarespace ads there's citations to research.

Let's go
1/7
Altmetric logo with podcast logo inside it
October 15, 2025 at 8:59 AM
rowankuminski.bsky.social
Gave my first talk today at the North East Scotland Ecology Network Science Day, and was thrilled to hear from so many people who are interested in applying these ideas to their own research here in Scotland!
Photo of a speaker in a black dress standing in dim lighting next to a presentation screen, with the title slide of a presentation titled "Exploring the effects of linguistic imperialism on conservation effectiveness and engagement in regional language contexts" Screenshot of title slide of a presentation titled "Exploring the effects of linguistic imperialism on conservation effectiveness and engagement in regional language contexts", written in white letters over an orange title block. A digitally drawn hoopoe is in the center with speech bubbles for the word hoopoe in different languages (Hoopoe, Abubilla, Puput, Argi-oilarra), on white background
October 14, 2025 at 6:46 PM
rowankuminski.bsky.social
Had a great time presenting my plans for my fourth thesis chapter today at the Interdisciplinary Research and Education Symposium at Aberdeen! This project is very close to my heart and I'm excited to present our work at several more upcoming conferences! 🪶
A photo of a scientific poster pinned on a blue board. The poster is dark red with the white title "Exploring effects of linguistic imperialism on engagement with ornitholigical knowledge in Catalonia", with a digital drawing of a flamingo and a gull on either side. There is a map of Spain with Catalonia highlighted in red, and white text boxes and a QR code for a Catalan translation
October 8, 2025 at 6:58 PM
Reposted by Rowan Kuminski
jappliedecology.bsky.social
We're looking for a Research Highlights Editor!

Research Highlights are short commentary papers that contextualise the latest research within the wider field 🌍

This role could be a great fit for an ECR looking to take the next steps into editing ✍️🧪

Apply here: bit.ly/4o0bTV8
Research Highlights Editor for Journal of Applied Ecology - British Ecological Society
Join the editorial board on Journal of Applied Ecology! Apply by 01 Nov 2025.
bit.ly
October 7, 2025 at 12:23 PM
rowankuminski.bsky.social
Been playing random playlists/videos for Ebro over the weeks, and have found that his favourite things to settle down and listen to are Bella Ciao and Last Week Tonight with John Oliver, so I'm really liking the personality he's developing 😂💙
Small spaniel puppy with black ears, brown face, and whire body with grey speckling on his head, sleeping on a blanket draped over a person's legs, sitting on a blue couch. In the background is a white door and radiator along a soft white wall
October 6, 2025 at 7:52 AM
rowankuminski.bsky.social
Why is it that people think seabird science list serves are the best outlet to voice how opposed they are to initiatives making ornithology more inclusive? So tired of receiving insensitive mass emails from people blind with rage over changing bird/place names with colonial legacies
October 4, 2025 at 9:29 AM
rowankuminski.bsky.social
Got Ebro a #seabird toy so we can share a common interest 🐧
10 week old puppy laying on its side looking at the camera while chewing on a puffin toy about his same size. Puppy is mostly white with brown speckling on his face and feet and black ears. He is laying on a wooden floor with puppy pads on it
October 2, 2025 at 4:04 PM
Reposted by Rowan Kuminski
smp-seabirds.bsky.social
Yes, that's right!
You have until October 31st to submit your breeding seabird data to the SMP so that it can be utilised in understanding how species have faired this year! #seabirds @btobirds.bsky.social @jncc.bsky.social @rspb.bsky.social
Graphic displays a Black Guillemot photographed by Edmund Fellowes/BTO with a thought bubble extending from its head and the internal text 'Just one month to submit your breeding seabird data to the SMP!'. The SMP logo is positioned in the top left hand corner. The caption reads: 'Yes, that's right! You have until October 31st to submit your breeding seabird data to the SMP so that it can be utilised in understanding how species have faired this year! #seabirds'
October 1, 2025 at 7:11 AM