In Memoriam: Wayne R. Munns Jr.

Susan Kane Driscoll and Mark S. Johnson

Longtime colleague and active SETAC member Wayne R. Munns Jr. passed away in June 2026 at his home in Jamestown, Rhode Island. 

Wayne obtained his bachelor’s degree in Zoology in 1977 from the University of Washington and his Ph.D. in 1984 in Biological Sciences from the University of Rhode Island.

Following graduate school, Wayne was employed by Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC) from 1983 to 1995. SAIC provided scientific and technical support to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) laboratory in Narragansett, Rhode Island. With SAIC, Wayne rose to Division Manager and Assistant Vice President. In 1995, Wayne was recruited by the USEPA laboratory, now known as the Atlantic Coastal Environmental Sciences Division, where he spent nearly 30 years and served as the Division Director for more than 12 years. While Division Director, professionally, Wayne was known for his planning, communication and organizational skills as well as his thorough, constructive and responsive reviews of the laboratory staff’s research. More personally, reflective of his intellect, Wayne was gifted with a mischievously dry wit often deployed with impeccable timing. After stepping down from the directorship, Wayne was Senior Science Advisor at the USEPA Center for Environmental Measurement and Modeling in Research Triangle Park, North Carolina.

Wayne was a prolific author with more than 197 publications, including peer-reviewed manuscripts and technical reports. He published extensively on population-level ecological risk assessment and, more recently, on incorporating ecosystem-level services into decision-making. At SETAC, Wayne was a past chair of the Ecological Risk Assessment Interest Group and active in arranging birdwatching events in association with the SETAC North American annual meetings. Birdwatching trips occurred in Salt Lake City, Boston, Portland, Sacramento, San Francisco and other venues.

Wayne was an active and passionate birder, traveling all over the world in pursuit of new additions to his life list. He sought birds and other wildlife in 28 countries and on six continents. He was a member of the Audubon Society of Rhode Island Kimball Wildlife Refuge Advisory Committee from 1979 to 1980 and was elected as its chair in 1980. To Wayne, there was no such thing as an empty sky; there were only moments between birds. When he was out with a group of birders, he frequently would ID a bird before the others even knew it was there. He was like a walking version of Merlin (the birding ID app), except better, because Merlin cannot actually point out the bird.

Wayne was a friend and mentor to many, always interested in improving environmental science and developing better scientists. He was always open to possibilities. He extended research ideas into vision, plans and action. We cherish and will miss the Wayne we know as a scientist, naturalist, leader and friend. His enthusiasm for the environment and his keen intellect will be sorely missed.

Author contact: [email protected]