I have been a member of the Society for Marine Mammalogy (SMM) since 2007, when I attended my first Biennial Conference in Cape Town, South Africa. After earning my MSc (2004) and PhD (2010) from Université de La Rochelle in France, I completed postdoctoral fellowships at the Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD) in France and at Florida International University (FIU) in Miami—a city I have called home since 2012.
My research centers on the ecology, behavior, and conservation of marine mammals, though I have also studied sharks and sea turtles worldwide, particularly during my postdoctoral years. I am currently an Associate Professor of Biology at FIU, where I lead the Marine Mammal Ecology Laboratory. My work focuses on the spatial and trophic ecology of marine mammals, their ecological roles and importance within marine ecosystems, and the impacts of human activities on their populations.
Although I have been part of the Society for nearly two decades, my deeper involvement began when I co-chaired the 22nd Biennial Conference on the Biology of Marine Mammals, held in Palm Beach, Florida, in August 2022. Following that experience, I joined the SMM Board, serving as Secretary (2023–2024) and later as President-Elect (2024–2025).
As President, my goal is to increase the Society’s global impact and broaden our membership by fostering greater inclusivity. I am committed to raising our visibility so that we can more effectively fulfill our mission: advancing marine mammal science worldwide and strengthening its role in education and conservation management. Marine mammals and our marine mammal science community need our efforts now more than ever.
Hello Friends and Colleagues, As I write you today, I am still getting my “land legs” after having the distinct pleasure of joining an international team of students and other colleagues for a leg of an offshore research cruise. Our goal was simple, to enhance our understanding of the abundance, distribution and behavior of cetaceans […]
Hello Good Colleagues! It has been a busy few months for the Society, and I would like to highlight just a few of these events here. To begin, please join me in welcoming Dr. Mridula Srinivasan as our new Chair of the Education Committee. Mridula is a very active member of the SMM and helped lead the […]
Hello Friends and Colleagues, It is a pleasure, and my honor, to be writing you as President, to share news from the Board, and to highlight a few of the events that you will read more about below. An important role of each incoming Board is to carry out a review our Committees, as the vibrancy and […]
It is with deep sadness that we share the news that Dr. Jeanette A. Thomas passed away on 16 July 2018. Dr. Thomas was the 7th President of our Society (1994-1996) and had a long and distinguished career of leadership in the marine mammal world. She was Editor of Aquatic Mammals, served as a scientific […]
The Board of Governors and Board of Associate Editors have selected Randy Reeves as the winner of the Kenneth S. Norris Lifetime Achievement Award. This award was established in honor of the Society’s founding president as an acknowledgement of exemplary lifetime contributions to science and society through research, teaching, and service in marine mammal science. […]