She received a B.A. in biology at Occidental College and a Ph.D. in zoology from the University of Florida. Dr. Bjorndal serves as the chair of the Marine Turtle Specialist Group of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature. She was a member of the National Research Council Committee on Sea Turtle Conservation, which issued a report entitled Decline of the Sea Turtles: Causes and Prevention in 1990. Dr. Bjorndal is a member of the Scientific Advisory Council of the Bahamas National Trust and the Board of Directors of the Annual Sea Turtle Symposium. Her research includes sea turtle demographics, feeding ecology, growth rates, and nutrition.