I am a Senior Scientist focusing on the detection of trace amounts of DNA from environmental samples to study species distributions, interactions, and diversity. I mostly work with water or dietary samples to develop molecular assays for the reliable detection of both individual species and entire species communities. Most of my work is centered around vertebrates and their foraging ecology, distribution patterns in space and time, and sex-specific differences. I enjoy working with community scientists and translating scientific findings into guidelines for species monitoring and conservation. Currently, I am based in the Applied Animal Ecology Research Unit at the University of Innsbruck (Austria). In eWHALE I act as project coordinator and provide expertise on the development and application of eDNA-based methods and the implementation of citizen science activities.

I'm a Cetacean Behavioural Ecologist. In eWHALE, my research focuses on investigating the potential of eDNA for individual identification, and for determining kinship and genetic diversity within sperm whale social units.

My scientific background are from population genetics where I graduated from the University of Tromsø in 2009. Since 2018 I have been using the analysis of eDNA to characterize diversity in both vertebrates and invertebrates northern Norway fjords and the Barents Sea.

I have been involved with the issue of the environmental management since 1996. My main research activities are 1) the analysis, monitoring and modelling of environmental data relating to different environmental compartments, 2) scenario analysis and modelling of pollution phenomena to support the assessment of impacts and intervention alternatives / land use, 3) Environmental risk assessment and forecasting, habitat modelling of sensitive species, identification of polluting sources, multi-criteria analysis to support the planning and management of environmental resources and biodiversity. In eWHALE, I will be involved in the integrative analysis of the datasets obtained by established methods (visual observations, biodiversity data) and eDNA sampling (individual identification, megafauna detections and semi-quantitative estimates, prey diversity) and will also lead WP5 (eDNA and citizen science as drivers for monitoring and management at the seascape level), in close connection with the whale watching companies participating in eWHALE and with support by partners with citizen science expertise (UIBK, UI, IFREMER, INRAE). The results of this activity will enable to evaluate the socio-economic implications, the potential for conservation decisions by the widespread use of eDNA, and the possibility of incorporating citizen science eDNA assessments with the conventional biodiversity assessment performed by institutional agencies.

I am Head of Zoology and Ecology at UCC. I work on marine mammal ecology and biology, marine mammal fisheries interactions and the functioning of marine ecosytems, relating dietary analysis to bioaccumulation, migratory patterns and oceanographic and bathymetric parameters.  I am also interested in marine fisheries management and ways of improving fisheries, in particular the ecosystem approach to fisheries management. In this project the UCC team, in conjunction with whale watching companies will determine whether it is possible to use eDNA to identify individuals and examine population structure of a number of whale, dolphin and shark species on the south and west coast of Ireland. eDNA will also be used to examine prey species.

I'm a senior researcher at the French research institute for the exploitation of the sea (Ifremer). I'm a quantitative ecologist and work on developing methods for marine ecosystem and population assessments. I carry out field work to gather knowledge and test new observation methods, primarily in the Bay of Biscay. In eWHALE I will be involved in the porbeagle case study, contributing her field and data analysis experiences.

I am the director at the University of Icelands research center in Húsavík and is hired as a research professor at University of Iceland. In eWHALE, we will take eDNA samples and compare with whale biopsies and work closely with the whale watching company, North Sailing for citizen science and eDNA samples.