I completed a BSc. in Biology at the Autonomous University of Madrid in 2017. My thesis was focused on ant behaviour ecology. In the same year, I joined the International Master of Science in Marine Biological Resources (IMBRSea) which took me to Oviedo, Ancona and, eventually, Galway (GMIT). For my master thesis, I studied the population viability and abundance of resident bottlenose dolphins in the Shannon Estuary.
Now, I’m back in Galway to start a PhD project in partnership with the Irish Whale and Dolphin Group that is aimed to explore the increasing presence of humpback whales in inshore Irish waters. Applying different techniques and analytical approaches (photo-identification, drones, acoustics), we will study humpback whale abundance, residence and movement patterns as well as maturity and body condition, acoustic production and potential anthropogenic impacts derived from a flourishing whale watching industry associated to the expanding presence of this charismatic species in Irish waters.
