Biography

I am interested in baleen whale foraging, or, put simply, “what kind of krill swarms do whales like?” (and lots more questions besides!). I use active acoustic data (echosounders) to visualise krill swarms, and use complex statistics to link aspects of these krill swarms (their density, depth, size, or shape) to areas of baleen whale abundance. My work relies on statistical know-how in both GAMs and distance sampling methods, as well as large dataset wrangling.

I am lucky to be supported by a team of four supervisors: Sophie Fielding and Jen Jackson at BAS, Nat Kelly at the Australian Antarctic Division, and Ryan Reisinger at the University of Southampton. At BAS I am part of the Ecosystems team, and my PhD is fully funded by NERC as part of the INSPIRE Doctoral Training Programme.

I studied a unique and broad degree called Human Sciences at the University of Oxford, which sat across biological and social sciences, giving me a broad understanding of the human and wildlife aspects of conservation. I then did a Masters in Ecology at Imperial College London, focusing my research on the role of krill poo in ocean carbon cycles! I joined the British Antarctic Survey to start my PhD in October 2022. Since then, I have been ‘South’ twice, as part of a project between BAS and the University of Southampton, using a small and nimble vessel around whale feeding grounds off the Antarctic Peninsula.

I am passionate about widening participation in science, through public engagement and science communication, and through DEI initiatives. I am a member of the APECS Podcast Group and the APECS DEI group, and mentor students from underrepresented backgrounds through their Oxford applications, and more widely in their scientific careers.

Research interests

Baleen whale foraging: how baleen whales choose foraging sites or even individual swarms to feed on, and the impact they leave behind. Metrics of consumption (eg. per day)

Predictors of baleen whale presence: both prey and environmental variables’ impacts on areas of baleen whale distribution

Fisheries-wildlife conflict: how to ensure foraging grounds remain suitable for the wildlife that depends on them, while sustaining economic interests

Ocean noise and its impact on marine mammal behaviour

The most effective tools for science communication

Collaborations

Professor Leigh Torres, Oregon State University, Oregon USA: the effects of ocean noise on grey whales in their feeding ground