Details on selected research projects that I have led or collaborated on.
For more information see my publications or feel free to contact me.
Marine predator-ocean interactions
Postdoctoral scholar (2023-Present) - Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Woods Hole, MA, USA
My research integrates oceanographic, ecological, and human-user perspectives to explore how marine predators interact with and are influenced by transient oceanographic processes and events, such as mesoscale eddies and marine heatwaves.
Currently, I am examining existing marine heatwave detection methods and metrics, especially within dynamic regions like the Northwest Atlantic. As part of a collaborative project, I engage directly with marine management stakeholders and produce actionable research to support marine protected areas. I am also actively involved in scaling biologging technologies for field applications to help resolve foraging events in free-swimming fish.
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Sharks as oceanographers
Ph.D. Candidate (2018-2023) - Abess Center,
University of Miami, USA
The overall goal of my doctoral research was to examine the use of shark-borne sensors to collect high-resolution ocean temperature data.​ I explored how these data may enable an enhanced observation of physical ocean changes in remote marine areas like the Gulf Stream. I also examined the utility of this data in climate forecast models and dynamic fisheries management. I outlined how movement ecologists can collect and disseminate data in an actionable manner to contribute to interdisciplinary needs tangibly.
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Fieldwork was conducted in 2021 and 2022 off Cape Cod, during which blue and shortfin mako sharks were tagged with custom-made satellite tags.
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I participated in a workshop at Ocean Obs'19 that explored the use of animal oceanographers and contributed to a resultant collaborative manuscript outlining the need for standardization of biologging data, available here.
Elasmobranch movement
in changing environments
Ph.D. Student (2018-Present) - Shark Research & Conservation (SRC), RSMAS, University of Miami, USA
The waters off of Miami offer an excellent opportunity to examine the effects of climate variability (short and long-term), climate extremes, and urbanization on the sharks that inhabit this area.
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In addition to participating in and leading ongoing shark tagging fieldwork, my primary contributions to SRC published works include leading collaborations, data analyses, generation of figures, and manuscript preparation & writing.
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Read our paper on smalltooth sawfish in the urbanized waters off of Miami, a collaborative effort with NOAA here. Our work studying the environmental drivers of long-term movements of acoustically-tagged bull sharks is available here. Our study on tiger shark space use and migrations under climate warming is here.
At the edge of the thermal window: a widespread African fish in warming waters
M.Sc. Student (2013-2015) - McGill University, Canada and Lake Nabugabo Research Station, Uganda
My master’s project explored how the metabolic performance and thermal tolerance of a widespread, well-studied African cichlid, Pseudocrenilabrus multicolor victoriae (pictured) is affected by thermal increase.
I used a combination of field survey data and lab acclimation experiments to address my questions. I measured several response variables (including upper thermal tolerance, critical oxygen tension, metabolic rates and swim speed) in parallel, across a wide thermal range that encompassed P. multicolor’s current natural thermal environment as well as projected increases.
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Effects of environmental
stressors on Canadian freshwater fish
Research Assistant (2010-2012, 2015-2018) - McGill University, Concordia University, Department of Fisheries and Oceans Canada
Climate change is having increasingly severe impacts in Canada's lakes and rivers. I collaborated on several projects that aimed to measure physiological and behavioural responses of Canadian freshwater fish of varying conservation statuses to environmental stressors.
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My primary contributions to these studies included: participating in field-based fish collections, designing and carrying out experiments (critical thermal tolerance and critical oxygen tension trials), manuscript preparation and writing, as well as maintenance of experimental fish.
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Read our papers on the effects of turbidity on imperiled blackline shiners here and here. Our work on thermal tolerance variability among brook trout populations is available here.
