Welcome!
My research focuses on the social and behavioural lives of cetaceans, with particular interest in collective decision-making, social structure, standing behaviour, and within-group behavioural ecology of long-finned pilot whales (Globicephala melas). I am committed to research that strengthens connections between science, local communities, and conservation. Much of my work takes place around Cape Breton, where I collaborate with community members to share knowledge, support public education, and foster stewardship of the marine environment. A central goal of my research program is to translate what we learn about cetacean societies into meaningful conservation applications.
I am now expanding my research focus to better understand how long-finned pilot whales are responding to rapidly changing ocean conditions. This includes new projects focused on health, such as non-invasive analyses of skin lesions using photo-identification data, as well as emerging work on foraging ecology to explore how pilot whales find and use resources in shifting marine environments. Together, these studies aim to provide a more holistic view of how this generally pelagic, socially complex species is adapting to a changing climate.
I am now expanding my research focus to better understand how long-finned pilot whales are responding to rapidly changing ocean conditions. This includes new projects focused on health, such as non-invasive analyses of skin lesions using photo-identification data, as well as emerging work on foraging ecology to explore how pilot whales find and use resources in shifting marine environments. Together, these studies aim to provide a more holistic view of how this generally pelagic, socially complex species is adapting to a changing climate.
Past Research
During my graduate studies, I explored how long-finned pilot whales communicate, coordinate, and navigate their social world using long-term acoustic data and minimally invasive drone-based observations. This research included cataloguing their repeated call types, assessing how these calls vary across social units, and examining the behavioural contexts in which vocal sequences occur. I also investigated how pilot whales made collective diving decisions, how synchrony emerged within groups, and how spatial formations shifted across social contexts. Together, these studies showed that pilot whale calls are widely shared and often modified—likely supporting cohesion and contact—and revealed that pilot whales exhibit substantial variation in synchrony and group formations depending on social context. Notably, collective deep dives are usually led by flanking female guides, with groups coordinating by adjusting their synchrony and formations in advance (evidence of pre-departure behaviour).