Date of birth: October 11 1965;
Place of birth: Budapest, Hungary;
Nationality: Hungarian;
Marital status: married (Judit P. Rácz), three children (Barnabás - 1990, Alma - 1992, Péter - 1996);
Education: L. Eötvös University, Budapest, 1984-1989;
Degree: Degree in biology, 1989; Dr. Univ. degree, 1995; PhD in environmental sciences, 1996;

Employment:
Institute of Ecology and Botany of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences: 2011-;
Animal Ecology Research Group of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences: 1995-2011;
Ecological Research Group of the Hungarian Natural History Museum: 1989-1995;

Awards:
- Prize of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences for Young Scientists (1997),
- Fellow of the Otto Kinne Fund (1997),
- János Bolyai Research Scolarship (1999-2001),
- Junior Fellow of the Central European University (2002),
- János Bolyai Research Scolarship (2003-2006),
- Petényi, S. J. Award of the BirdLife Hungary for outstanding research work (2004),
- doctor of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences (equivalent to professor) (2006),
- dr. habil degree (2009),
- 'Lendület' (Momentum) support of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences (2011).

Research activities:

• Ecosystem services.
• Biodiversity on set-asides.
• Effect of grasing intensity on biodiversity.
• Farmland management and biodiversity in an enlarged EU.
  
• Community organisation on isolates and reserves.
• Effects of habitat fragmentation on reed living bird and orthopteran communities.
• Effects of habitat edge on reed and forest living bird communities.
• Microclimate and vegetation edge effect in reedbeds.
• Nest predation experiments in reedbeds.
• Monitoring environmental changes on birds as indicators at two large wetlands.

Former researches:

• Participating in the design of the national monitoring framework.
• Setting conservation priorities for wildlife species in Hungary.
• Succession of beetle communities.
• Habitat selection of the Icterine Warbler (Hippolais icterina) in riparian habitats.
• Behaviour ecology and population changes of the Great Tit (Parus major) in winter.
• Breeding biology of the Great Tit.

Scientific experiences:

I took part in zoological expeditions to Mongolia (1990), North-Korea (1991); short scholarships to Sweden (1991) Finland (1995) and Norway (1997); participating at more than 38 national and 35 international scientific congresses;

Activities in societies:

• I am a member of the Committee of Science Ethics of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences (2011-).
• I am a member of the Advisory Committee on Genetechnological Methods (2011-).
• I am a member of the Biological Sciences Jury of the Hungarian Scholarship Committee (2011-).
• I am a delegate to the EPBRS (2009-).
• I am president-elect of the European Section of Society for Conservation Biology (2009-).
• I am an invited member of the Hungarian Natura2000 Advisory Board (2009-).
• I am deputy secretary-general of the Hungarian Biological Society (2006-).
• I am a member of the Board of the European Ecological Federation (2005-).
• I was the president of the Hungarian Ecological Society (2004-2006) and the vice president (past president) until 2009.
• I am a member of the Hungarian Bioplatform (2002-).
• I am a member of the publication and the scientific committees of the Hungarian Ornithological and Nature Conservation Society / BirdLife Hungary (2000-).
• I was a member of the Conference Committee of the Society for Conservation Biology (2006-2008).
• I was a member of the Board of the Europe Section, Society for Conservation Biology (2002-2007).
• I was the chair of the SCB-Europe’s Membership Committee (2002-2005).
• I am the secreteriat of the Nature Protection and Conservation Biology Committee of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences (1999-2005, 2008-).
• I was a member of the Central Environmental Committee of the Federation of Technical and Scientific Societies (Hungary) (1995-2007).
• I was the secretariat of the Environmental and Nature Conservation section of the Hungarian Biological Society (1994-2002).

Activities in meeting organisation:

• I am chair of the Scientific Committee of the 3rd European Congress of Conservation Biology (Glasgow, 2012).
• I am co-chair of the Scientific Program Committee of the International Congress for Conservation Biology, 2010.
• I am a member of the organising committee of the 2nd European Congress of Conservation Biology (Prague, 2009).
• I am co-organising a symposium on the effects of set aside management at the 2nd ECCB (Prague, 2009).
• I am organising a round table discussion at the 2nd ECCB (Prague, 2009).
• I was the chair of the local organising committee of the 1st European Congress of Conservation Biology (www.eccb2006.org, Hungary, Eger, 2006).
• I was the chair of the organising committee of the 1st and 3rd Hungarian Conservation Biology Congresses (2002, 2005).
• I was member of the organising committee of the 2nd, 4th and 5th Hungarian Conservation Biology Congresses (2004, 2007, 2008).
• I was member of the scientific committee of the 15th International Conference of European Bird Census Council (Hungary, 2001).
• I was a member of the local organising and the poster committees of the 2nd International Wildlife Management Congress (Hungary, 1999).
• I organised a symposium with Dr. Brigitte Poulin on Reedbed management and conservation in Europe at the 2nd International Wildlife Management Congress (Hungary, 1999).
• I was the secreteriat of the 2nd Hungarian Ecological Congress (1991).
• I organised a number of smaller conferences, meetings (>50participants), project and committee meetings.

Educational activities:
(1) I am a core member of the Environmental Sciences PhD School of the Szent István University.
(2) I have a course on habitat fragmentation for Biology MSc students at the Eötvös University.

Memberships:
- European Ornithologists' Union,
- Society for Conservation Biology,
- INTECOL,
- European Ecological Federation,
- British Ecological Society,
- Hungarian Ecological Society,
- Hungarian Ornithological and Nature Conservation Society / BirdLife Hungary,
- Hungarian Biological Society.