CURRENT RESEARCH
White Sharks
I have been studying white sharks off California for over a decade. My research focus covers population modeling, physiology, movements, and behavior. My recent work has been to develop cutting -edge technologies to non-invasively study the behavior and physiology of white sharks.
My work has been the focus of popular media including the Discovery Channel show 'Great White Highway'
California
©Stanford University
British Indian Ocean Territory
Atolls and Technology
I work with a large consortium of scientists from Stanford University, the Zoological Society of London, the University of Western Australia and the Bertarelli Foundation. I Develop and deploy cutting edge technologies (i.e., Saildrones, Wavegilders, camera tags, etc.) to describe the trophic and ecological interactions of top predators at remote atoll communities and pelagic habitats. I am also experimenting with new techniques with these technologies for protection, monitoring, enforcement and management of remote marine protected areas.
White Shark Kinematics
I began deploying the first biologging camera tags on white sharks near Dyer Island in South Africa in 2013. My continued work here is focused on understanding the kinematics of these amazing predators. By attaching non-invasive fin-mounted tags, which record triaxial movement data as well as video and environmental data, we can reconstruct the hidden lives of these amazing predators.
This work has been the subject of the National Geographic Channel show 'Great White Ambush'
South Africa
© Taylor Chapple
Mexico
Shark Magnetic Navigation
Working with researchers from the Max Planck Institute, Universidad Internacional de la Paz and Desert Star Systems I developed a novel way to test shark navigation in hammerhead sharks. The tags I developed alllow us to manipulate the perceived magnetic field in free-swimming animals.
This work was funded by the National Geographic Society and was showcased in DISCOVER MAGAZINE.
Wyoming
Red Crossbill
With one of the best eco-phyisiolgist in the world, Dr Jamie Cornelius from Eastern Michigan University, and animal movement specialists, Martin Wikelski at the Max Planck Institute, I have been studying the energetic costs of migration, breeding and overwinter survival in free-living songbirds. We use heart-rate telemeters to track and measure energetic expenditure and behavior via continuous active tracking and focal sampling.