Dr. Chris Harrod
Associate researcher

Chris is a fish and aquatic ecologist, who works across the salinity gradient and from sea level up to high altitudes. On leaving school, he worked as a laboratory technician at a polymer research institute. He then (1994-1997) studied Environmental Science (B.Sc. Hons. Manchester Metropolitan University, UK) and then (1997-2001) undertook a D.Phil. on fish ecology (University of Ulster, UK). After this, Chris worked as a consultant ecologist and as a UK Government fisheries scientist. He returned to academia first as a postdoc at the National University of Galway, Ireland and then as a research fellow at the Max Planck Institute for Limnology in Plön, Germany. From here, Chris took up a lectureship in Fish and aquatic ecology at Queen’s University, Belfast in Northern Ireland. Chris joined the University of Antofagasta as a titular (full) research professor in 2014. His group use traditional and biochemical approaches (stable isotope analysis) to understand the ecology and function of contemporary and pre-historical consumers and ecosystems. Chris is currently director of the Universidad de Antofagasta Stable Isotope Facility (UASIF) which has a state of the art EA-GC/C-IRMS for the analysis of bulk (C, N, H, O, S) and compound specific (C, N) stable isotope ratios. He is also co-director of the Núcleo Milenio INVASAL, a Chilean-government centre of excellence. His group includes 3 FONDECYT funded postdocs, 6 PhD students, 2 MSc students and 4 undergraduate students and a full time laboratory manager.

Chris has published widely on the ecology, function and evolution of fish and aquatic ecosystems. He works as associate editor at five leading ecological journals.

Research lines

Chris’ key research lines include using stable isotope analysis to understand energetic subsidies between ecosystems, invasive species, and the prehistorical ecology of coastal northern Chile.

Contact
chris@harrodlab.net