Current Students

I’m a Ph.D. candidate in the Marine Science and Conservation program and associate director of the Potomac-Chesapeake Dolphin Project. I am particularly interested in species level management and the evolution of these management schemes to include growing knowledge on the biology of a species as well as knowledge from the people who directly and indirectly interact with the species, so that a more holistic approach is taken. My dissertation aims to add to and assess the current management scheme of bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) residing along the United States’ mid-Atlantic coast by providing necessary biological data on dolphins in the Potomac-River-Chesapeake Bay area, as well as involving fishers in the acquisition of knowledge.

I am a PhD candidate in Marine Science and Conservation. I am interested in the sensory structures of navigation in long-distance marine migrants. For my dissertation, I am examining navigational techniques of cetaceans from several different perspectives, including satellite tag analysis, behavioral studies, and an anatomical investigation for a magnetoreceptor.

Before coming to Duke, I completed a B.S. in Marine Biology at the University of North Carolina Wilmington (UNCW). During my undergraduate career, I was the Undergraduate Stranding Coordinator for the UNCW Marine Mammal Stranding Program and a NOAA Hollings Scholar. I also completed a MSc in Marine Mammal Science from the University of St. Andrews (Scotland). My masters research focused on the fine-scale foraging techniques of the harbor porpoises using digital acoustic recording tags (DTAGs).

I’m a PhD candidate in the Marine Science and Conservation program, and I am also pursuing a Certificate in College Teaching. My research interests broadly lie in international protected species policy, law, diplomacy, and conservation biology. I am particularly interested in the efficacy of multilateral institutions and treaties in addressing protected species bycatch, such as through Regional Fisheries Management Organizations. My research examines Indian Ocean bycatch and bycatch policy for tuna drift gillnet fisheries, which are data deficient but thought to have very high bycatch. My dissertation aims to help address some of these knowledge gaps, as well as consider unilateral and multilateral approaches to addressing this bycatch.

My research interests in bycatch, policy, and management are influenced from my prior work experience, including as a former NOAA Knauss Marine Policy Fellow at the U.S. Department of State, a Foreign Affairs Specialist working on the MMPA Import Provisions Rule at NOAA Fisheries, and, importantly, as a masters student in Dr. Read’s lab in 2015-2017. I enjoy running, rock climbing, kayaking, and hanging out with my dog, Brisbane, in my spare time.

Websites

Personal: www.briannawelliott.com

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/briannawelliott

I am a PhD student in Marine Science & Conservation, and I am broadly interested in collective movement ecology, group decision-making, and other social processes that could impact cetaceans’ resilience to conservation threats. My dissertation research focuses on group coordination and decision-making during foraging dives in groups of short-finned and long-finned pilot whales. Using digital acoustic tags (DTAGs) and unoccupied aircraft systems (UAS, or drones), I will identify factors that influence movement decisions whales make at several points throughout a dive – including horizontal movement at the surface, individual paths during foraging, and reunification with group members during ascent – allowing social groups to maintain cohesion over time.

Before starting my PhD, I completed my B.S. in Environmental Sciences and Biology at Duke. My undergraduate research focused on the behavioral response of wildlife to UAS, with the goal of developing species-specific best practices for the use of UAS as a tool for conservation research. I studied how feral horses respond to fixed-wing UAS flights with the Duke Marine Robotics and Remote Sensing Lab and how Hawaiian monk seals respond to hexacopter UAS flights with the NOAA Hawaiian Monk Seal Research Program. After completing my undergraduate studies, I collected sightings and behavior data on large cetaceans in the Gulf of Maine as a research assistant for Allied Whale.

Email: anne.harshbarger@duke.edu

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/anne-e-harshbarger/

I am a second year Master of Environmental Management candidate, with a concentration in Coastal Environmental Management. Prior to starting at Duke, I graduated from the University of South Carolina in 2021 with a B.S. in Marine Science. I was then fortunate to spend a year interning for the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and the Sarasota Dolphin Research Program. During that time, I gained experience in manatee and dolphin strandings, necropsies, rescues, and research. While at Duke, I completed a summer internship with NOAA where I helped to write technical reports on annual aerial surveys of the North Atlantic right whale calving grounds.

My research interests broadly include cetacean behavior and conservation, with an emphasis on population ecology. More specifically, I am interested in observing how a population responds to a large-scale environmental stimulus, and analyzing how that response impacts the population’s ecology and conservation. I am excited to explore these interests within my Master’s Project, where I will investigate the interaction of offshore wind development and the North Atlantic right whale population off the Carolina coasts. In my free time, I enjoy hiking, reading, camping, kayaking, and spending time outdoors.

I am a second year Coastal Environmental Management Master’s student. For my master’s project, I am working alongside Upwell and Grupo Tortuguero de Las Californias (GTC), investigating sea turtle bycatch in artisanal fisheries in Sinaloa, Mexico, as a model for implementing camera technology to improve bycatch characterization in remote areas on small-scale fishery (SSF) vessels. This summer, I interned with NOAA SWFSC’s Marine Turtle Ecology & Assessment Program, modeling Loggerhead Sea Turtle occurrence in Southern California during El Niño Conditions. Prior to starting at Duke, I graduated from the University of California, Berkeley, in 2021 with a B.S. in Environmental Sciences. During my undergraduate degree, I completed three field seasons conducting sea turtle research on nesting beaches in South Florida. I enjoy swimming, hiking, herping, cooking, and scuba diving in my free time!

Email: AileenLavelle@duke.edu

www.linkedin.com/in/aileen-lavelle