(click on places for more information about a project)
About

Being born and raised in Venlo (The Netherlands) nearly 200 km from sea (which is pretty far away for Dutch standards), it is probably not very obvious how I became so fascinated by the marine environment and especially sharks. The answer however, is very simple: books and documentary films did the trick and inspired me at a relatively young age to determine and follow an unlikely path for the rest of my life. Every kid has his/her own favorite animal, I started of with snakes but soon switched to sharks and other marine megafauna with which I stayed for a while. Volunteering for a well-known marine conservation NGO for a couple of years also inspired me to found and direct my own ocean awareness and research project called Oceaware. After finishing my bachelor of Applied Biology (University of Applied Sciences HAS Den Bosch), I am now in my second year of my MSc. Marine Biology at Wageningen University.
Now, at age 25, I can proudly say that I was involved in many fascinating (research) projects, met and worked alongside many inspiring and dedicated fellow students and scientists from all over the world, and travelled to the most beautiful countries and islands. But above all, I worked with the most amazing wildlife in the Ocean. Fortunately, that’s not it, new exciting projects are up ahead in the near future of which I will keep you all posted through new blog posts.
For a complete overview of my experience, recent work and skills see my curriculum vitae or follow me on LinkedIn.
If you have any inquiries, tips or just want to get in touch, do not hesitate to contact me.
Thank you for your visit!
Guido
Blog

Young lemon sharks of Statia
March 27, 2018
After the exciting news of the silky sharks on the Saba Bank two weeks ago, this time we move a bit Southeast from Saba to the Caribbean island of Sint Eustatius (better known as Statia) for another s...Read More

A new shark for the Saba Bank
March 5, 2018
As we set out to the immense Saba Bank to do regular dives last Thursday, our captain spotted two small sharks at the surface. One glance at the surface and I realized these sharks were a bit more spe...Read More

EEA Conference Bristol
November 4, 2016
Last weekend the annual meeting of the European Elasmobranch Association (EEA) took place in the Bristol Aquarium (UK). Organized this year by the UK-based Shark Trust, a total of around 170 delegates...Read More
Publications & Appearances

Scientific Publications
O’Connell, C. P. & Leurs, G. (2015). A novel and minimally invasive technique to assess several life-history characteristics of the endangered great hammerhead shark, Sphyrna mokarran. Journal of Fish Biology, 88(3), 1257–1264. PAPER
Leurs, G., O’Connell, C. P., Andreotti, S., Rutzen, M., Vonk Noordegraaf, H. (2015). Risks and advantages of using surface laser photogrammetry on free-ranging marine organisms: a case study on white sharks Carcharodon carcharias. Journal of Fish Biology, 86(6), 1713–1728. PAPER

Newspapers & Magazines
Guido Leurs studied sharks in South Africa (HAS Beats Business Edition)
November, 2013
Interviewer: Florieke Koers
Guido Lives For Sharks (Dagblad De Limburger)
July 13th, 2013
Interviewer: Adri Gorissen
Measuring shark growth with lasers (Bionieuws 19, NIBI)
November 21st, 2015
Interviewer: Janneke Razenberg

TV Appearances
Hunting the Hammerhead (NatGeo WILD)
To be released (Spring 2016)
Produced by: Earth-Touch
Guido’s passion for sharks (Dutch)
March 9th, 2016
Interview in L1 Avondgasten

Radio Interviews
How dangerous are sharks (L1 Radio)
March 9th, 2016
How to avoid a shark attack (Radio 2)
January 8th, 2014
Interviewer: Gijs Stavermans