My Career

Animals have always fascinated me. This intrigue led to my first internship at the University of Miami's Rosenstiel School during my senior year of high school where I collected sand fleas from beaches and counted them in the lab. It was a sweaty and tedious task, but it was also the start of my quantitative ecology skills. The internship was followed by others, including one at the International Shark Attack File where I researched shark attacks in Latin America. Soon after, I earned a B.S. in Environmental Science from the School of Natural Resources and Environment (SNRE) at the University of Florida with a minor in Zoology.  The highlights of these formative years were an oceanographic cruise, tagging bull sharks, and volunteering during cetacean strandings.

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My graduate studies began at the Nicholas School of the Environment at Duke University where I completed a Masters in Environmental Management (MEM) studying the feeding ecology of short-finned pilot whales and dwarf sperm whales. Concurrently, I completed lab and field research training in Florida with the Sarasota Dolphin Research Program.  After completion of my MEM, I returned to the SNRE at the University of Florida for a Ph.D. in Interdisciplinary Ecology.  My dissertation focused on the ecology and conservation of Amazon river dolphins in Brazil.  In between my degrees, I worked for the Galveston Bay Foundation (GBF) as Director of Community Programs. I developed field opportunities for citizens to learn ecology and conservation through hands-on experiences.  As a result, extension and outreach became an integral part of my career.  I readily share my science with both the scientific community and general audiences, and continue to develop field research opportunities for citizens.

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After completing postdoctoral research, I kept affiliate positions at the University of Florida (Courtesy Assistant Professor) and the Galveston Bay Foundation (Research Scientist). During these years, I spent most of my time developing the Galveston Bay Dolphin Research Program (GDRP). I also created Wildlife Research Partnerships (WRP) to expand existing and new research projects and facilitate collaborations. In 2023, I became Director of Research for the GBF. In this role, I continued to grow the GDRP and facilitated the development of other research initiatives.  

 

In August 2024, I began an appointment as a Research Associate Professor of Marine Mammal Conservation at the University of Miami's Rosenstiel School (in the same campus/school where my first internship took place!). I joined the new Robert K. Johnson Center for Marine Conservation and the department of Environmental Science and Policy. Unfortunately, due to health and family challenges, I was unable to move to Miami and continue my faculty appointment. Currently, I am the Director of Dolphin Research & Conservation for the GBF and dedicate most of my time to the GDRP. Through WRP and the University of Florida, I also continue to develop small cetacean research and conservation projects based in Latin America. 

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