MEET THE LEADERSHIP TEAM

I have been a member of the Society for Marine Mammalogy (SMM) since 2007, when I attended my first Biennial Conference in Cape Town, South Africa. I co-chaired the 22nd Biennial Conference on the Biology of Marine Mammals, held in Palm Beach, Florida, in August 2022. Following that experience, I joined the SMM Board, serving as Secretary (2023–2024) and later as President-Elect (2024–2025).

My research centers on the ecology, behavior, and conservation of marine mammals. I am currently an Associate Professor of Biology at Florida International University (Miami), where I lead the Marine Mammal Ecology Laboratory. My work focuses on the spatial and trophic ecology of marine mammals, their ecological roles and importance within marine ecosystems, and the impacts of human activities on their populations.

I am a Life Member of SMM, first joining as a master’s student in 1983. I am currently Professor and Director of the Marine Mammal Institute at Oregon State University, USA. Prior to joining OSU, I spent 30 years with NOAA, including as Director of the Marine Mammal and Turtle Research Division in La Jolla, CA, USA, and Chief Scientist of the Eastern Tropical Pacific Dolphin Research Program, which provided the scientific basis for the “Dolphin Safe” label under the US MMPA.

I have studied the ecology and conservation biology of cetaceans (and seabirds) around the world, including the Pacific and Indian Oceans, Antarctica, and Bering Sea. I am a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, recipient of the Department of Commerce Bronze and Silver Medals, cover feature of the Association for Women in Science, and Presidential nominee as Chair of the US Marine Mammal Commission.

I first joined SMM in 2013 as a master’s student, when I attended my first Biennial Conference in Dunedin, New Zealand.  I have attended every conference since, presenting research from my MSc at the University of North Carolina Wilmington (2012-2014), my employment with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (2014-2019), and my PhD at the University of New Brunswick Saint John (2020-2024).  I am now a Cetacean Conservation Biology Scientist with The Marine Mammal Center in California, where I lead drone operations, respond to entangled whales, and conduct cetacean surveys around Monterey and San Francisco.

My research background is in cetacean health, physiology, and strandings.  I am especially interested in how we can develop and refine noninvasive technologies to study and monitor the health of free-swimming cetaceans.  I am also a member of The Wildlife Society’s Drone Working Group and SMM’s Diversity and Inclusion Committee.

I am an environmentalist and ecologist interested in biogeography, behavioural ecology, and urban ecology. My entry into marine mammal science happened by chance while studying olive ridley turtles in 1998. After completing my MSc, during which I studied both bats and dolphins, I worked with the marine mammal program at WCS Thailand and later pursued a PhD studying Irrawaddy dolphins in India.

Since completing my PhD in 2009, I have been mentoring students in marine ecology—particularly marine mammals—while also conducting independent research. My work focuses on marine megafauna diversity, population distributions, socio-ecology, and conservation. I am one of the founding members of www.marinemammals.in and continue to curate the platform alongside other members.

I am an Adjunct Senior Research Fellow at JCU, Australia; Marine Mammal Research Coordinator at the Dakshin Foundation, India; a member of the IUCN Cetacean Specialist Group and the Marine Mammal Protected Areas Task Force; and a Board Member of the Society for Marine Mammalogy. When not at sea, I study urban and peri-urban floral ecology and run a native plant nursery.

I have been involved in marine mammal research and conservation in the Philippines for more than two decades. I am the Founder and Principal Investigator of BALYENA.ORG, a non-profit organization dedicated to the conservation of whales, dolphins, and their habitats through research, education, and capacity building. My work began at WWF-Philippines, where I led the Cetacean Research and Conservation Project and initiated the first study of humpback whales in the Babuyan Marine Corridor—now the country’s longest-running cetacean research program.

My research focuses on the population biology and conservation of marine mammals, cetacean–human interactions, and the history of large marine vertebrate fisheries. I have worked across government, academia, and the NGO sectors, most recently as a Senior Museum Researcher at the National Museum of the Philippines. I hold degrees from Ateneo de Manila University, the University of the Philippines Los Baños, the University of Oxford, and Murdoch University. I am also a National Geographic Explorer, Fulbright Scholar, and a member of several IUCN specialist groups.

I joined the Society at the beginning of my PhD program in 2020. Two years later, I was elected to the Board as a Student Member-at-Large, and I now serve as a senior member of the Student Affairs Committee.

I earned my PhD in Zoology from the University of Yaoundé 1 (Cameroon) in 2025. My thesis focused on the first countrywide genetic study of the African manatee in Cameroon, as well as the first year-round passive acoustic monitoring of the species in one of its most important habitats. My research centers on passive acoustic monitoring of marine mammals, including manatees and the Atlantic humpback dolphin, alongside studies of their genetic diversity and phylogeography.

I am currently a postdoctoral researcher at the African Aquatic Conservation Fund.

I am an ecologist studying marine mammals, fisheries, and coastal communities since 2012. My research applies social science methods to better understand the relationships among people, marine mammals, and coastal ecosystems, and how community knowledge can inform and support resource management.

I completed my PhD at James Cook University, Australia, in 2025, where I examined the human dimensions of interactions between small-scale fisheries and Indian Ocean humpback dolphins along the west coast of India. I am currently working with James Cook University and WorldFish to support fisheries co-management and capacity-building initiatives for coastal communities in Timor-Leste.