DAVID SHIFFMAN NAMED PRESIDENT'S SOCIAL MEDIA NEWSMAKER OF THE YEAR

Shark conservation biologist David Shiffman is the most heavily followed scientist on social media in B.C. and one of the most influential scientists in the world on social media. His Twitter handle @WhySharksMatter has almost 39,000 followers on Twitter.

Every Wednesday, Shiffman holds an AMA (ask me anything) session on Twitter and has fielded more than 2,000 questions on sharks, conservation efforts and marine biology. Shiffman has also helped train about 500 scientists on how best to use social media to advance science.

In December, he created and coordinated a synchronized viewing and Twitter chat for BBC’s Blue Planet 2 series.

Shiffman is a postdoctoral fellow in the Dulvy Lab in the department of Biological Sciences.