London NERC DTP Student. Investigating foraging ecology, movement ecology, and population dynamics of loggerhead sea turtles (Caretta caretta). Thesis: Evolutionary Ecology of Feeding Strategies in Loggerhead Sea Turtles (Caretta caretta) from Movement to Conservation

Topics covered included: Current Issues in Conservation, Sustainable Use and Resource Exploitation, Population Surveys, Conservation Management, Priority Setting and Implementation.Thesis: Noisy Neighbours - using Automatic Identification System (AIS) and passive acoustic monitoring data to measure individual vessel source levels in critical whale habitat.

Modules including: Biology of Marine Organisms, Animal Behaviour, Conservation Research Methods, Marine Mammals and Man, Scientific Diving. Dissertation: Echolocation clicks of cetaceans - variation due to cetacean size, social and prey preferences.

I am a part of the Center for Biodiversity and Global Change at Yale University where I work as part of the Biodiversity Movement and Global Change group. My work focuses on understanding the drivers and impacts of animal movement on a changing planet. I utilise high-resolution global animal movement data to explore space use and changes over time. I hope to identify how conservation practices and projects aid in the protection of highly mobile and migratory species.

I worked with two teams at the British Antarctic Survey. The first team analysed acoustic recordings from South Georgia. The second team (Whales from Space) was reviewing VHR satellite images collected from the Antarctic peninsula. In the acoustic monitoring project, I identified underwater sound sources. The main focus is to monitor recovering populations of baleen whales in South Georgia. In the ‘Whales From Space’ project I classified features of interest and environmental conditions within each VHF image. The main focus is to examine humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) presence and habitat use across the year.

Passive acoustic monitoring study for marine mammals of Maryland in which I examined the effect of background noise levels on dolphin acoustics in particular key whistle characteristics. Setup, deployment, and recovery of acoustic equipment (SM3M, C-POD, SoundTrap) offshore and in the Chesapeake Bay. Whistle project development with Dr. Helen Bailey. Processed and analysed whistle structure and background noise leading to first author manuscript in Biology Letters.

Data cleaning, quality control, and post processing for plastic distribution over Great Pacific Garbage Patch. Writing of the final report and peer-reviewed publications with colleagues.

Aerial observations (scanning for debris, angle measurements, classification, and photography) through paratrooper doors on C-130 Hercules aircraft for surveys over Great Pacific Garbage Patch to quantify ocean debris. Onsite mission preparations and demobilisation of software and equipment..

Cliff-based surveys using theodolites to map the location of marine mammals. Involved scanning for marine mammals, theodolite tracking of marine mammals, weather observations, data entry, and analysis

Grant recipient with Dr. Christine Erbe. Developed a bioacoustics and population ecology study on Australian populations of killer whales (Orcinus orca). Coordinated and led research trips to the Bremer Canyon and Exmouth field sites. Leading the photo identification and behavioural data collection. Data analysis, management, and publication preparation utilising both MATLAB and Raven software. Designed and formatted a photo identification catalogue using FinBase. Supervised four year 10 students conducting analysis on our data.

Analysed underwater spectrograms to identify principal soundscape features. Utilised noise logger deployment reports to further understand the significant features of each soundscape. This work fed into a broader study looking at temporal and geographical variability in underwater soundscapes.

Marine mammal observer and research assistant on a multi-year project looking at the effect of seismic surveys on humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae). This role involved consistent and careful scanning for humpback whales to facilitate small vessel focal follows. During seismic trials ensure mitigations on animal and vessel distances were met by continuous monitoring. Efficient communication to lead monitoring operator across seismic trial period. Proprietary programme set up, operations for scan surveys, data management.

I undertook boat-based photo-ID photography, image quality and distinctiveness scoring, data management, and matching of a Pacific white-sided dolphin (Lagenorhynchus obliquidens) photo identification catalogue spanning 30-years.. Small vessel data collection for the development of a marine conservation toolkit. Including, multi-species marine mammal line transects utilising CyberTracker for data collection on encounters. Hydrophone deployment and recovery.

As part of a four person team I undertook boat and land based surveys focusing on sperm whales (Physeter macrocephalus) in the Kaikoura Canyon. Boat Based: Cetacean spotting, focal follows, directional and omni-directional hydrophone deployment, acoustic tracking, blow rate sampling photo identification image capture and matching. Land Based: Scanning for marine mammals theodolite operation and individual focal follows monitoring tourist vessel locations.

I carried out photo identification for a long-term humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) catalogue. I independently conducted snorkel reef surveys to investigate frequency of reef contact by the general public and during eco-tours I ensured accurate cetacean logs were maintained during vessel encounters.

Conducted boat based cetacean and avian research. Primarily focused on gray whales (Eschrichtius robustus) and involved: line transects surveys, focal follows, and prey sampling in areas of foraging whales. Data input and photo identification of fluke and dorsal images.

Independently conducted sediment sample collecting and processing. Assisted PhD students in the laboratory and field to process and analyse samples and input data.