Stan Kuczaj, Ph.D.

Stan Kuczaj was a longtime friend of and collaborator with the Dolphin Communication Project. Everyone here at DCP is sad to have lost Stan, but are eternally grateful for all that he has done for our organization, and for his amazing contributions to marine mammal science. Below is a biography of Stan that was published in Aquatic Mammals Journal. On 14 April 2016, the scientific community lost Dr. Stan Kuczaj, professor at the University of Southern Mississippi and Director of the Marine Mammal Behavior and Cognition Laboratory. He was a beloved teacher, researcher, friend, mentor, and colleague. By age 65,…

Maria Maust-Mohl , Ph.D.

Dr. Maria Maust-Mohl received her Master's degree from Columbia University in Conservation Biology and PhD from The Graduate Center of the City University of New York in Biopsychology and Behavioral Neuroscience. Her dissertation focused on the behavior and acoustic signals of hippopotamus and the evolutionary relationship between dolphins and hippos. She is currently an Assistant Professor of Psychology at Manhattan College in Riverdale, NY where she studies animal behavior and communication, as well as human perceptions of animals and animal thinking. Since 2015, she has brought students from Manhattan College to Bimini for a study abroad course in connection with…

Shane Kanatous, Ph.D.

Assistant Professor Office: Anatomy/Zoology Building E308 Phone: 970-491-0782 Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. I am a Brooklyn, New York native transformed into the rare hybrid of a Texas Aggie who worked for the University of Texas System and is an Assistant Professor at Colorado State University. I have often been asked how a kid from New York City became interested in marine biology and physiology. As a child, I remember watching the Undersea World of Jacques Cousteau and being fascinated by the ocean and its marine life. From there, my love of the marine world continued to grow as I read all of…

Allison B. Kaufman, Ph.D.

Research scientist, Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at the University of Connecticut Allison B. Kaufman is research scientist with the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at the University of Connecticut, where she also teaches as a adjunct professor in the departments of Marine Biology and Psychology. Allison holds a doctorate in Neuroscience from the University of California, Riverside. She has published on language and cognition in several species of non-human animals, in addition to measurement techniques for observing animal behavior. Currently, her main interest is in the application of research on human constructs, such as creativity and intelligence,…

Dawn Melzer, Ph.D.

Associate Professor, Sacred Heart University, Connecticut Dr. Melzer received her Ph.D. from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst and is an Associate Professor of Psychology at Sacred Heart University in Fairfield, CT. Her previous research projects focused on cognitive development in young children, specifically mental state understanding and executive function skills. Currently Dr. Melzer is collaborating with DCP and other researchers on a comparative study investigating the use of creativity assessments in marine mammals and young children.

Peter M. Scheifele, Ph.D. LCDR USN (Ret.)

Associate Professor, University of Cincinnati Associate Professor Associate Professor Peter is a Vietnam veteran and retired Navy Lieutenant Commander. Having entered the Navy as an enlisted man he served in various ratings. Peter also began working with marine animals while in the Navy and was the Director of Training for the Canine Obedience Training Club of Hawaii. After eleven years he became a Commissioned Limited Duty Officer and Naval Oceanography Officer specializing in marine mammal bioacoustic research. During his final ten years he worked at the Naval Underwater Systems Center in New London, Connecticut and at Mystic Marinelife Aquarium where…

Leslie Cornick, Ph.D.

Professor Marine Biology & Statistics at Alaska Pacific University • Ph.D. Wildlife Ecology, Texas A&M University• M.A. Physiology and Behavioral Biology, San Francisco State University• B.A. Biological Anthropology, University of California at San Diego If I had to sum up my research philosophy in one word, it would be synergy. Nothing in the natural world exists in isolation, including humans, and it is critical that we realize that our actions in the environment have consequences. But with sound science combined with common sense and persistence, we can improve the state of the marine environment and the quality of our lives…

Elizabeth Hawkins, Ph.D.

Director, Dolphin Research Australia Elizabeth Hawkins, PhD Since 2000, Dr. Elizabeth Hawkins has been researching the intricate and fascinating lives of dolphins. Elizabeth’'s research focuses on the behaviour, social dynamics and communication of dolphins. Her honours research, which was completed in 2002, examined the behaviour and acoustics of a group of provisioned dolphins at Tangalooma, Moreton Island, Australia. In 2007, Elizabeth completed her PhD research with the Southern Cross University Whale Research Centre. Her thesis examined the population dynamics, ecology, acoustic communication and the influence of human activities on coastal dolphins in the Byron Bay region of New South Wales,…

Rebecca Singer, Ph.D.

Associate Professor of Psychology, Georgetown College

Radhika Makecha, Ph.D.

Assistant Professor, Eastern Kentucky University

Andreas Fahlman, Ph.D.

Assistant Professor of Biology, Texas A&M UniversityAndreas Fahlman, Ph.D. is a comparative physiologist whose research projects revolve around the central question of how animals function in challenging environments. He was born and raised in Sweden, and moved to Hawaii in 1993 to pursue a BSc in Marine Biology. He completed his PhD in Biology from Carleton University in Ottawa, Canada, in 2000, with an award-winning dissertation On the Physiology of Hydrogen Diving and its Implication for Hydrogen Biochemical Decompression, based on research he performed at the Naval Medical Research Center, Bethesda, Maryland, USA. His graduate and post-graduate studies ranged from…

Steve Turnbull, Ph.D.

Executive Director - Canadian Shark Conservation Society, University of New Brunswick I have worked at the University of New Brunswick in Saint John for over 20 years. I teach several different biology courses which include zoology, animal behavior, marine mammals, wildlife ecotourism, and environmental science. I also teach two field courses in Bimini, Bahamas. One course is on elasmobranchs and is held at the Bimini Biological Field Station, and the other through DCP studying Atlantic spotted and bottlenose dolphins. My initial research was in seal bioacoustics and over the years I have drifted toward the study of porbeagle sharks in…

Deirdre Yeater, Ph.D.

Associate Professor, Sacred Heart University, Connecticut Biography Dr. Deirdre Yeater received her Ph.D. from the University of Southern Mississippi in Experimental Psychology with a Concentration in Marine Mammal Cognition and Behavior. Dr. Yeater is an Associate Professor at Sacred Heart University in Fairfield, CT. She enjoys teaching courses such as Comparative Psychology and Animal Learning. Dr. Yeater’s research has been in the areas of: dolphin imitation and social learning, the behavior of rough-toothed dolphins, social interactions in belugas, the effects of vessel traffic and swimmers on dolphin behavior, the effects of noise on marine mammals, and environmental enrichment with captive…

Heather Hill, Ph.D.

Associate Professor of Psychology, St. Mary's University Biography Dr. Heather Hill completed her bachelor’s degree in Psychology at Texas A&M University, College Station with a minor in Oceanography in 1996. She earned her master’s (2000) and doctoral (2003) degrees from the University of Southern Mississippi under the mentorship of Dr. Stan Kuczaj. After 3 years working as a research assistant at the Navy Marine Mammal Program in San Diego, California, with Dr. Sam Ridgway, she returned to her hometown of San Antonio, TX. Dr. Hill has been teaching psychology at St. Mary’s University, San Antonio, TX since 2007, is currently…

Mai Sakai, Ph.D.

Tokai University Institute of Innovative Science and Technology, Research Fellow of the JSPSSpecialties: Ethology, CognitionInterests: Social touch and synchrony, underwater behavior, social cognition in dolphins My research focus is on cetacean behavior and sociality. Cetaceans, especially odontocetes, have attracted research interest due to their large brains, highly sophisticated cognitive abilities, and diverse social structures. However, odontocetes live in a relatively inhospitable environment compared to terrestrial species, making them harder to study than most species. Consequently, there are still many things we do not know about odontocete social behavior. I have studied the social behavior of cetaceans via ethological methods for…

Tadamichi Morisaka, Ph.D.

Lecturer, Tokai University Institute of Innovative Science and TechnologySpecialties: Bioacoustics, Ethology, Ecology, CognitionInterests: Evolution of odontocetes’ acoustic communicationOdontocetes, or toothed whales, use various sounds to search their environments and to communicate with each other. How, when and why do they evolve such a variable sounds? This is my research interest. Predatory-Prey interactions are seems to restrict their sound variations and activities. Additionally, I am involving conservation of wild dolphins using several techniques. Also I am willing to note rare behaviors from wild dolphins which I see during my field activities to a scientific journal in order other researchers to site…