Person
Miller, Robert Rush (1916 - 2003)
- Born
- 23 April 1916
Colorado Springs, Colorado, United States of America - Died
- 10 February 2003
Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States of America - Occupation
- Ichthyologist
Summary
Robert Miller was an ichthyologist renowned for his extensive work on the taxonomy, distribution, and conservation of North American freshwater fishes. He was particularly interested in the ecological and evolutionary importance of native species, and an outspoken advocate for the protection of endangered and endemic fishes. In 1948, as Assistant Curator of Fishes at the Smithsonian Institution, he was appointed to the American-Australian Scientific Expedition to Arnhem Land. He collected 1,000s of specimens while on the Expedition. On returning from the Expedition, Miller joined the University of Michigan, ultimately becoming Professor of Biological Sciences. As Curator of Fishes at the University's Museum, he developed one of the finest freshwater fish collections in North America.
Details
Chronology
- 1938
- Education - BA, University of California, Berkeley, California, U.S.A.
- 1939 - 1944
- Career position - Research Assistant, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, U.S.A.
- 1944
- Education - PhD, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, U.S.A.
- 1944 - 1948
- Career position - Associate Curator of Fishes, Smithsonian Institution
- 1948 - 1954
- Career position - Assistant Professor of Zoology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, U.S.A.
- 1948 - 1959
- Career position - Associate Curator of Fishes, Museum of Zoology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, U.S.A.
- February 1948 - November 1948
- Career position - Ichthyologist, American-Australian Scientific Expedition to Arnhem Land
- 1950 - 1955
- Career position - Ichthyological editor, Copeia
- 1960 - ?
- Career position - Curator of Fishes, Museum of Zoology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, U.S.A
- 1960 - ?
- Career position - Professor of Biological Sciences, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, U.S.A.
- 1965
- Career position - President, American Society of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists
- 1965 - 1979
- Career position - Chairman, Freshwater Fish Group, IUCN
- 1969 - 1971
- Career position - Chairman, Endangered Species Committee, American Fisheries Society
- 1974 - 1976
- Career position - Chairman, Desert Fishes Council
- 1975
- Award - Distinguished Service Award, American Fisheries Society
- 1990 - 2003
- Award - Distinguished Fellow, American Society of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists
- 1994
- Award - Robert H. Gibbs Jr. Memorial Award, American Society of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists
Related entries
Colleague
Published resources
Book Sections
- Miller, Gifford Hubbs and Cashner, Robert Charles, 'Beneath the billabongs: the scientific legacy of Robert Rush Miller' in Exploring the Legacy of the 1948 Arnhem Land Expedition, Thomas, Martin and Neale, Margo, eds (Canberra: ANU E Press, 2021), pp. 271-82, https://press-files.anu.edu.au/downloads/press/p116081/pdf/ch143.pdf. Details
Journal Articles
- Cashner, Frances M., Smith, Gerald R. and Cashner, Robert C., 'Robert Rush Miller and Frances Hubbs Miller', Copeia (2003), 910-6, https://www.jstor.org/stable/41261886. Details
- Cashner, Robert Charles, Smith, Gerald R., Miller, Gifford Hubbs, Cashner, Frances Miller and Chernoff, Barry, 'Robert Rush Miller (1916 - 2003)', Copeia (2011), https://www.jstor.org/stable/41261886. Details
See also
- Taylor, William R., 'Fishes of Arnhem Land' in Records of the American-Australian Scientific Expedition to Arnhem Land, 4: zoology, R. L. Specht, ed. (Parkville, Vic.: Melbourne University Press, 1964), pp. 45-307. Details
Helen Cohn
Created: 21 August 2025