Oceans Research Wall of Fame: Celebrating Achievements
Many students, interns and volunteers who have attended the our Field Research Program, have gone on to enjoy careers and great success in a variety of fields. You can learn more about some of these great success stories right here.
James PhD research focus was aimed towards investigating the mechanisms behind putative magnetic field discrimination by sharks in navigation behaviour.
Following the completion of this, James joined the CSULB Shark Lab as Post-doctoral fellow
Following the completion of this, James joined the CSULB Shark Lab as Post-doctoral fellow
I first travelled to South Africa in 2007, volunteering in Gansbaai working on a white sharks ecotourism boat. In 2008, I was among the first ever cohort of Oceans Research (then known as SAMPLA) interns, returning in 2009 as the original field specialist. South Africa became my home, and I ended up moving back to Gansbaai. I am now a PhD student affiliated with Murdoch University looking at comparing the fine scale movements of several populations of white sharks on a global scale.
The skills and connections gained during my time in Mossel Bay were crucial to my development as a marine scientist and young adult. Skippering boats, animal tracking and working with white sharks are now part of my daily life and I’ve traveled the world working with these amazing animals.
I’m still friends with many of my cohorts and the interns I managed.
You can keep up with my movements on twitter @JewellResearch and my research on Research Gate.
The skills and connections gained during my time in Mossel Bay were crucial to my development as a marine scientist and young adult. Skippering boats, animal tracking and working with white sharks are now part of my daily life and I’ve traveled the world working with these amazing animals.
I’m still friends with many of my cohorts and the interns I managed.
You can keep up with my movements on twitter @JewellResearch and my research on Research Gate.
Antonin was Oceans Research’s first intern. As a doctoral candidate at Reunion Island University, Antonin is currently conducting one of the world’s biggest tagging programs on bull and tiger sharks.
They have tagged more than 80 sharks, and deployed more than 50 VR2W receivers along the west coast of the Island. The aim of the study is to study behavioural ecology of tiger and bull sharks there following an increase in the number of shark attacks. He is also working for the IRD (Institut de Recherche pour le développement).
They have tagged more than 80 sharks, and deployed more than 50 VR2W receivers along the west coast of the Island. The aim of the study is to study behavioural ecology of tiger and bull sharks there following an increase in the number of shark attacks. He is also working for the IRD (Institut de Recherche pour le développement).
Dr. Fabrice Jaine is a marine ecologist, nature photographer and science communicator. After his time as an Oceans Research intern he moved to Australia for his PhD research on ‘Project Manta’, which resulted in the first detailed examination of the movement, dispersal capabilities, diving behaviour and habitat use patterns of reef manta rays.
Upon the successful completion of his PhD in 2013, Fabrice joined the Marine Megafauna Foundation as a Senior Scientist.
He is now the Animal Tracking Facility’s Science Coordinator & Data Manager for IMOS in Australia.
An avid and established photographer, his work has recently been featured in Australian Geographic, Sport Diving Magazine and Beyond Blue Magazine. Fabrice also received the Merit of Excellence Award at the 2013 Ocean Geographic Pictures of the Year Competition.
Upon the successful completion of his PhD in 2013, Fabrice joined the Marine Megafauna Foundation as a Senior Scientist.
He is now the Animal Tracking Facility’s Science Coordinator & Data Manager for IMOS in Australia.
An avid and established photographer, his work has recently been featured in Australian Geographic, Sport Diving Magazine and Beyond Blue Magazine. Fabrice also received the Merit of Excellence Award at the 2013 Ocean Geographic Pictures of the Year Competition.
Riley Elliott is currently a doctoral candidate at the University of Auckland, New Zealand where he is conducting the country's largest ever blue shark satellite tagging program.
In addition, he is spear heading the campaign to have shark-finning outlawed in New Zealand through lobbying parliament and exposing New Zealand’s antiquated shark fishing laws in the media. His work was recently recognised by Discovery Channel, and he was recruited to host Shark weeks – top 10 sharkdown.
"Without the experience obtained with Oceans Research, I would not have been able to undertake megafauna research. Going through a structured institute like Oceans Research, you gain such experience which is otherwise very hard to come by. I owe my career to this institute and I will never forget that".
In addition, he is spear heading the campaign to have shark-finning outlawed in New Zealand through lobbying parliament and exposing New Zealand’s antiquated shark fishing laws in the media. His work was recently recognised by Discovery Channel, and he was recruited to host Shark weeks – top 10 sharkdown.
"Without the experience obtained with Oceans Research, I would not have been able to undertake megafauna research. Going through a structured institute like Oceans Research, you gain such experience which is otherwise very hard to come by. I owe my career to this institute and I will never forget that".
Lucille has always been fascinated with marine life, the underwater and Jacques Cousteau. Being from a landlocked country, she quickly developed the craving to travel and explore higher seas.
She was able to travel and gain some invaluable experience in volunteering and working for numerous programmes overseas, notably by doing an internship in Mossel Bay with Oceans Research. After completing her Master thesis on the on the behaviour of cleaner shrimps in the Red Sea, she decided to travel to Australia to do her PhD on the sensory systems of sharks, which led her to collaborate again with Oceans Research and its beautiful great white sharks.
During her PhD she explored the auditory sense of elasmobranchs. It has been a challenge, as it is a very poorly known system and sharks are not the easiest group of animals to work with. She learned patience and determination!
She is now a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the University of Exeter in the UK.
"During my time at Oceans, I learned a lot from the scientists in charge and the field specialists who happily shared their knowledge and experience. It was also an eye opener of how tough science can be, while being exciting and amazingly rewarding. It strengthened my motivation to further my education with a Master and then a PhD. Oceans Research offers a really great base for scientists to perform cutting-edge science and I was very lucky to benefit from it again when I came back to Oceans Research as a researcher".
She was able to travel and gain some invaluable experience in volunteering and working for numerous programmes overseas, notably by doing an internship in Mossel Bay with Oceans Research. After completing her Master thesis on the on the behaviour of cleaner shrimps in the Red Sea, she decided to travel to Australia to do her PhD on the sensory systems of sharks, which led her to collaborate again with Oceans Research and its beautiful great white sharks.
During her PhD she explored the auditory sense of elasmobranchs. It has been a challenge, as it is a very poorly known system and sharks are not the easiest group of animals to work with. She learned patience and determination!
She is now a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the University of Exeter in the UK.
"During my time at Oceans, I learned a lot from the scientists in charge and the field specialists who happily shared their knowledge and experience. It was also an eye opener of how tough science can be, while being exciting and amazingly rewarding. It strengthened my motivation to further my education with a Master and then a PhD. Oceans Research offers a really great base for scientists to perform cutting-edge science and I was very lucky to benefit from it again when I came back to Oceans Research as a researcher".
I will always be thankful for everything I learnt during my time at Oceans Research. Oceans Research is incredibly unique in the sense that it brings like-minded people from all over the world together in a beautiful setting to achieve the same goals.
To top it all off, I witnessed some of the most spectacular displays of wildlife behavior I know I will ever see in my life.
Hands-on field work is important as it shows prospective employers that you have the ability to apply theoretical principles to practical research in the real world.
Lauren obtained her PhD at the University of Western Australia working on the movement and trophic ecology of manta rays in the St Joseph Atoll in Seychelles
To top it all off, I witnessed some of the most spectacular displays of wildlife behavior I know I will ever see in my life.
Hands-on field work is important as it shows prospective employers that you have the ability to apply theoretical principles to practical research in the real world.
Lauren obtained her PhD at the University of Western Australia working on the movement and trophic ecology of manta rays in the St Joseph Atoll in Seychelles