Sound propagates very efficiently through sea water, and marine mammals take advantage of this medium to communicate and explore their environment. My research is focused on the link between acoustic and motor behavior in marine mammals, primarily cetaceans and manatees, specifically, how they use sound in ecological processes. The cetaceans, or whales and dolphins, are divided into two main groups, the toothed whales (odontocetes) and the baleen whales (mysticetes). One of my specific areas of research is the use of echolocation and foraging behavior in one of the odontocetes, the bottlenose dolphin. Another focus of my current research is the effect(s) of anthropogenic noise on marine mammals.
School Division
Marine Science & Conservation Marine LabEducation
- Ph.D., Massachusetts Institute of Technology (1999)
- B.A., Ohio Wesleyan University (1991)
Websites
Recent Grants
- Cuvier's beaked whale integrated ecosystem study: Systematic use of novel eDNA methodology to characterize and compare beaked whale populations and their associated prey community across regions awarded by Kelp Marine Research
- Atlantic Behavioral Response Study II - Continuously Active Sonar awarded by HDR, Inc.
- Atlantic Behavioral Response Study II 2024 - Continuously Active Sonar awarded by HDR, Inc.
- Merrill Seagrant awarded by North Carolina State University
- Reducing Impacts to Marine Mammals from anthropogenic Sound in the Gulf of Mexico awarded by California Ocean Alliance
Recent Publications
- Marine environmental research 201, ( ): 106674
- Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology 78, no. 5 ( ):
- Marine Ecology Progress Series 732, ( ): 167 - 192
- Marine Ecology Progress Series 744, ( ): 161 - 170
- Limnology and Oceanography 68, no. 12 ( ): 2668 - 2687