Sam Wenaas Perrin
About
Since May 2023 I've been working on the Hotspots project, which aims to map Norwegian biodiversity in an attempt to figure out which regions of Norway need to be prioritised for conservation. My work has involved the construction of automated data pipelines which download, process and then integrate a wide variety of data sets into species distribution models, as well as coordinating a team of interdisicplinary researchers and communicating our project results.
Before my time on the hotspots project, I completed my PhD on the joint effects of climate change and invasive species on freshwater ecosystems in Scandinavia. The project involved extensive statistical modelling, but also an eco-sociological exploration of what defines an invasive species, and how people feel invasive species should be managed, particularly in light of climate change. I've also been lucky enough to talk and teach about invasive species and biogeography in Master's courses and public events.
I am a keen scientific communicator, and founded and edited the website Ecology for the Masses. I have written a plethora of ecological articles for different publications, including The Niche, The Biologist, Kaiju Ramen and Unite for Nature. I also produced the podcast Biologists of Middle Earth, which interviewed biologists about fictional research projects based in Tolkein's world.
Between my stints at NTNU I also worked at Ducky AS, calculating and communicating how individuals can make a positive impact on Norway's greenhouse gas emissions. I'm also a member of Scientist Rebellion Norway.
Feel free to get in touch if you have any questions about:
- Invasive species in Norway or Australia
- Modelling species distributions using open data
- Science communication
- The biodiversity or climate crisis - what it means, what we can do
Competencies
Publications
2025
-
Mostert, Philip Stanley;
Bjørkås, Ragnhild;
Bruls, Angeline Josephine Hubert Mari;
Koch, Wouter;
Martin, Ellen Claire;
Perrin, Sam.
(2025)
intSDM: An R Package for Building a Reproducible Workflow for the Field of Integrated Species Distribution Models.
Ecology and Evolution
Academic article
-
Herfindal, Ivar;
Perrin, Sam;
Adjei, Kwaku Peprah;
Mostert, Philip Stanley;
Togunov, Ron Ronald;
Töpper, Joachim Paul.
(2025)
Modellering av heildekkande kart over artsmangfald – Betre kunnskap for arealbasert forvaltning av natur.
NTNU Gjærevollsenteret
Report
2024
-
Perrin, Sam;
Lundmark, Carina;
Wenaas, Camilla Perrin;
Finstad, Anders Gravbrøt.
(2024)
Contrasts in perception of the interaction between non-native species and climate change.
NeoBiota
Academic article
-
Muhlfeld, Clint C.;
Cline, Timothy J.;
Finstad, Anders Gravbrøt;
Hessen, Dag Olav;
Perrin, Sam;
Thaulow, Jens.
(2024)
Climate change vulnerability of Arctic char across Scandinavia.
Global Change Biology
Academic article
2023
-
Perrin, Sam;
Veylit, Lara;
Hakvåg, Sigrid;
Piarulli, Stefania.
(2023)
eDNA & accuracy: overcoming the challenges.
The Biologist
Popular scientific article
2021
-
Perrin, Sam;
Bærum, Kim Magnus;
Helland, Ingeborg Palm;
Finstad, Anders Gravbrøt.
(2021)
Forecasting the future establishment of invasive alien freshwater fish species.
Journal of Applied Ecology
Academic article
-
Perrin, Sam;
van der Veen, Bert;
Golding, Nick;
Finstad, Anders Gravbrøt.
(2021)
Modelling temperature-driven changes in species associations across freshwater communities.
Global Change Biology
Academic article
2020
-
Perrin, Sam Wenaas;
Englund, Göran;
Blumentrath, Stefan;
OHara, Robert Brian;
Amundsen, Per-Arne;
Finstad, Anders Gravbrøt.
(2020)
Integrating dispersal along freshwater ecosystems into species distribution models.
Diversity and Distributions: A Journal of Conservation Biogeography
Academic article
2019
-
Petersen, Tanja Kofod;
Perrin, Sam.
(2019)
Biodiverse Gardens: Where Doing Less Is More.
Website (informational material)
-
Perrin, Sam.
(2019)
Futurum.
The Big Challenge 2019
Museum exhibition
-
Petersen, Tanja Kofod;
Perrin, Sam.
(2019)
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Herbivore.
Website (informational material)
-
Petersen, Tanja Kofod;
Perrin, Sam.
(2019)
Locating Shark's Teeth in the Phone Book.
Website (informational material)
-
Bieker, Vanessa Carina;
Perrin, Sam.
(2019)
Subspecies – Do We Need Them?.
Website (informational material)
-
Bieker, Vanessa Carina;
Perrin, Sam.
(2019)
Preserving Biological Heritage: The Importance of Type Specimens.
Website (informational material)
2018
-
Bieker, Vanessa Carina;
Perrin, Sam.
(2018)
Norway’s New Invaders: Common Ragweed.
Website (informational material)
-
Bieker, Vanessa Carina;
Perrin, Sam.
(2018)
Norway’s New Invaders: The Genetics of Invasion.
Website (informational material)
-
Petersen, Tanja Kofod;
Perrin, Sam.
(2018)
Norway’s New Invaders: Filling the Knowledge Gap.
Website (informational material)
-
Perrin, Sam.
(2018)
Ecology for the Masses.
Multimedia product
2017
-
Perrin, Sam;
Siriwardane-de Zoysa, Rapti.
(2017)
Women in marine science: The efficacy of ecofeminist theory in the wake of historical critique.
Leibniz Centre for Marine Research: Working Paper Series
Popular scientific article
Journal publications
-
Mostert, Philip Stanley;
Bjørkås, Ragnhild;
Bruls, Angeline Josephine Hubert Mari;
Koch, Wouter;
Martin, Ellen Claire;
Perrin, Sam.
(2025)
intSDM: An R Package for Building a Reproducible Workflow for the Field of Integrated Species Distribution Models.
Ecology and Evolution
Academic article
-
Perrin, Sam;
Lundmark, Carina;
Wenaas, Camilla Perrin;
Finstad, Anders Gravbrøt.
(2024)
Contrasts in perception of the interaction between non-native species and climate change.
NeoBiota
Academic article
-
Muhlfeld, Clint C.;
Cline, Timothy J.;
Finstad, Anders Gravbrøt;
Hessen, Dag Olav;
Perrin, Sam;
Thaulow, Jens.
(2024)
Climate change vulnerability of Arctic char across Scandinavia.
Global Change Biology
Academic article
-
Perrin, Sam;
Veylit, Lara;
Hakvåg, Sigrid;
Piarulli, Stefania.
(2023)
eDNA & accuracy: overcoming the challenges.
The Biologist
Popular scientific article
-
Perrin, Sam;
Bærum, Kim Magnus;
Helland, Ingeborg Palm;
Finstad, Anders Gravbrøt.
(2021)
Forecasting the future establishment of invasive alien freshwater fish species.
Journal of Applied Ecology
Academic article
-
Perrin, Sam;
van der Veen, Bert;
Golding, Nick;
Finstad, Anders Gravbrøt.
(2021)
Modelling temperature-driven changes in species associations across freshwater communities.
Global Change Biology
Academic article
-
Perrin, Sam Wenaas;
Englund, Göran;
Blumentrath, Stefan;
OHara, Robert Brian;
Amundsen, Per-Arne;
Finstad, Anders Gravbrøt.
(2020)
Integrating dispersal along freshwater ecosystems into species distribution models.
Diversity and Distributions: A Journal of Conservation Biogeography
Academic article
-
Perrin, Sam;
Siriwardane-de Zoysa, Rapti.
(2017)
Women in marine science: The efficacy of ecofeminist theory in the wake of historical critique.
Leibniz Centre for Marine Research: Working Paper Series
Popular scientific article
Report
-
Herfindal, Ivar;
Perrin, Sam;
Adjei, Kwaku Peprah;
Mostert, Philip Stanley;
Togunov, Ron Ronald;
Töpper, Joachim Paul.
(2025)
Modellering av heildekkande kart over artsmangfald – Betre kunnskap for arealbasert forvaltning av natur.
NTNU Gjærevollsenteret
Report
UTSTILLING
-
Perrin, Sam.
(2019)
Futurum.
The Big Challenge 2019
Museum exhibition
Product
-
Perrin, Sam.
(2018)
Ecology for the Masses.
Multimedia product
Information material
-
Petersen, Tanja Kofod;
Perrin, Sam.
(2019)
Biodiverse Gardens: Where Doing Less Is More.
Website (informational material)
-
Petersen, Tanja Kofod;
Perrin, Sam.
(2019)
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Herbivore.
Website (informational material)
-
Petersen, Tanja Kofod;
Perrin, Sam.
(2019)
Locating Shark's Teeth in the Phone Book.
Website (informational material)
-
Bieker, Vanessa Carina;
Perrin, Sam.
(2019)
Subspecies – Do We Need Them?.
Website (informational material)
-
Bieker, Vanessa Carina;
Perrin, Sam.
(2019)
Preserving Biological Heritage: The Importance of Type Specimens.
Website (informational material)
-
Bieker, Vanessa Carina;
Perrin, Sam.
(2018)
Norway’s New Invaders: Common Ragweed.
Website (informational material)
-
Bieker, Vanessa Carina;
Perrin, Sam.
(2018)
Norway’s New Invaders: The Genetics of Invasion.
Website (informational material)
-
Petersen, Tanja Kofod;
Perrin, Sam.
(2018)
Norway’s New Invaders: Filling the Knowledge Gap.
Website (informational material)
Outreach
2024
-
PosterMostert, Philip Stanley; Koch, Wouter; Bruls, Angeline; Martin, Ellen Claire; Bjørkås, Ragnhild; Perrin, Sam. (2024) A Reproducible Workflow for the Field of Integrated Species Distribution Models. Swedish Biodiversity Data Infrastructure SBDI Days , Stockholm 2024-01-24 - 2024-01-25
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Academic lecturePerrin, Sam. (2024) Digital twins of biodiversity; concepts, workflows and data. SPDI SBDI Days 2024: Towards Data-driven Ecology , Stocholm 2024-01-24 - 2024-01-25
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Academic lectureMostert, Philip Stanley; Adjei, Kwaku Peprah; Togunov, Ron Ronald; Perrin, Sam; Chipperfield, Joseph; Finstad, Anders Gravbrøt. (2024) Estimating hotspots using automated pipelines and large-scale integrated species distribution models. ISEC International Statistical Ecology Conference , Swansea 2024-07-12 - 2024-07-19
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Academic lectureTogunov, Ron Ronald; Perrin, Sam; Mostert, Philip Stanley; Van Moorter, Bram; Panzacchi, Manuela; Finstad, Anders Gravbrøt. (2024) Come together: Joining species distribution and connectivity models for improved mapping of functional habitat for Norwegian wood beetles. [Talk ID: 235]. ISEC International Statistical Ecology Conference , Swansea, Wales 2024-07-16 -
2020
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InterviewBrandslet, Steinar; Perrin, Sam. (2020) Hvorfor går det så galt i Australia?. https://gemini.no/2020/01/hvorfor-gikk-det-sa-galt-i-austral https://gemini.no/2020/01/hvorfor-gikk-det-sa-galt-i-austral [Internet] 2020-01-09
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Academic lecturePerrin, Sam Wenaas; Bærum, Kim Magnus; Finstad, Anders Gravbrøt. (2020) Forecasting Introduction Events of Invasive Freshwater Fish Species. Nordic Society Oikos Ecology in the Anthropocene: The 4th Conference of the Nordic Society Oikos , Reykjavik 2020-03-03 - 2020-03-05
2019
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PosterHelland, Ingeborg Palm; Finstad, Anders Gravbrøt; Blumentrath, Stefan; Bærum, Kim Magnus; Perrin, Sam; Fossøy, Frode. (2019) Hvordan stoppe spredning av fremmed fisk?. Miljødirektoratet Vannmiljøkonferansen , Oslo 2019-03-26 - 2019-03-28
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InterviewPerrin, Sam; Reid, Jane Margaret. (2019) JANE REID: PLAYING THE ECOLOGICAL LONG GAME. https://ecologyforthemasses.com/2019/10/17/jane-reid-playing https://ecologyforthemasses.com/2019/10/17/jane-reid-playing [Internet] 2019-10-17
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InterviewPerrin, Sam; O'Hara, Bob. (2019) BOB O’HARA: THE RISE OF THE ECOLOGICAL MODELLER. https://ecologyforthemasses.com/2019/09/24/bob-ohara-the-ris https://ecologyforthemasses.com/2019/09/24/bob-ohara-the-ris [Internet] 2019-09-24
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Academic lecturePerrin, Sam; Golding, Nick; Finstad, Anders Gravbrøt. (2019) Modelling changes in species associations in a warming climate. Norwegian Ecological Society 4th Conference of the Norwegian Ecological Society , Tromso 2019-02-11 - 2019-02-13
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InterviewPerrin, Sam; Rahbek, Carsten. (2019) CARSTEN RAHBEK: THE ROLE OF A NATURAL HISTORY MUSEUM. https://ecologyforthemasses.com/2019/04/15/carsten-rahbek-th https://ecologyforthemasses.com/2019/04/15/carsten-rahbek-th [Internet] 2019-04-15
2018
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LecturePerrin, Sam; O'Hara, Robert B.; Amundsen, Per-Arne; Blumentrath, Stefan; Finstad, Anders Gravbrøt. (2018) Predicting the effects of invasive species on fish at a community level in the face of climate change. Great Lakes Fishery Commission 9th International Charr Symposium , Duluth 2018-06-18 - 2018-06-21
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LecturePerrin, Sam; Blumentrath, Stefan; O'Hara, Robert B.; Englund, Göran; Finstad, Anders Gravbrøt; Amundsen, Per-Arne. (2018) Predicting the effects of invasive species on fish at a community level in the face of climate change. Nordic Oikos Oikos , Trondheim 2018-02-20 - 2018-02-22
2017
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PosterPerrin, Sam; O'Hara, Robert B.; Amundsen, Per-Arne; Blumentrath, Stefan; Finstad, Anders Gravbrøt. (2017) Predicting the effects of climate change on fish at a community level. British Ecological Society Ecology Across Borders , Ghent 2017-12-11 - 2017-12-14