In my profession, my research interests are in shark behaviour & ecology, shark reproduction & human-shark conflict mitigation.
I have over 15 years of experience working with sharks using various marine research methods and providing my expertise as an advisor for policy makers & conservation management. Expanding my work beyond pure scientific research through outreach & collaboration with other knowledgeable communities such as anglers, fishers and divers, is in my opinion of the utmost importance so that everyone can benefit from each other’s skills & knowledge.

Gaining considerable experience through my work in Australia, South Africa, Cyprus, I am currently located in the Cayman Islands.
In the Cayman Islands, I founded the citizen science Sharklogger Network, that involves resident divers and dive centers that help monitor Cayman’s shark population by logging dive & shark data throughout the year. This worldwide unique program is now running for 9 consecutive years!
Spearheading the SharKY Fest in June 2016, we celebrated the national shark protection which came into force under Cayman’s National conservation Act (NAC, 2013) with hopefully another fest for its 10-year anniversary.

My hobby is bodybuilding. I am passionately advocating for strength training & a healthy lifestyle as self-care which are the cornerstones to live healthily & age gracefully. I started strength training because I wanted to gain “upper body” strength so that I could confidently do fieldwork (which is physically demanding). But then, I totally fell in love with the training & nutrition as I felt & saw the changes myself. I became my own ‘science experiment’.
Gaining physical strength made me more confident in my own abilities and I loved that feeling. Fast forward, I competed on a bodybuilding stage as a natural Figure Athlete – the same year that I finished my PhD!
In that very same year, however, I experienced the most terrifying event in my life. I know how to be disciplined, to work hard, to self-sacrifice & to ignore my needs. Now, I want to honor my body, mind & life, for the rest of my time on this beautiful planet & want to share my story to encourage everyone else to do the same!

As I continue to follow my passion to study sharks in order to conserve these ecologically vulnerable animals, I love to see the public, especially kids, getting engaged with & excited about local shark conservation. Actively encouraging people through my work, it warms my heart to see signs of appreciation by people for these animals in our oceans. Sharks deserve nothing less!

I also believe that work-life balance is essential to live a fulfilled, happy and healthy life. My personal experience with chronic stress in academia, personal sacrifices, and ignoring the body’s early-warning signs for arising health risks have made me want to be more mindful in my personal and professional life. I aspire to be a thoughtful project leader, mentor to other girls & women, and to encourage everyone to take care of their physical & mental health. Take time to time to reflect, re-adjust (if needed), & practice self-care. Your needs are valid & you are worth it.

Like sharks, we deserve nothing less!