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 conducting an examination of 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.
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.
Fieldwork was conducted in 2021 and 2022 off Cape Cod, during which blue and shortfin mako sharks were tagged with custom-made satellite tags.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
