Scientific Advisors

Dr Robert Bonde is a Research Biologist with the U.S. Geological Survey and holds an adjunct faculty position with the graduate school of the University of Florida, College of Veterinary Medicine. Bob has been studying manatees for 38 years and specializes in their natural history, biology, genetics, and conservation. He has served on graduate committees for 29 students focusing on topics related to genetics, endocrinology,

Tim Collins has worked with the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) since 2002 and leads WCS marine mammal work in Central West Africa, focusing principally on Congo and Gabon. He holds an MS and is the IUCN Cetacean Specialist Group Africa Coordinator. Tim has focused effort most recently on the rare Atlantic humpback dolphin, working closely with fishing communities in Congo to reduce the capture of

Nicola has worked with international charity, Whale and Dolphin Conservation (WDC) since 2005 and has extensive expertise on small cetaceans, strandings and managing local researchers and relationships, predominantly throughout Africa and Asia. Nicola leads WDCs work on the global capture (both deliberate hunts and the utilization of bycaught individuals) of small cetaceans for food, bait, trade and traditional uses and represents the organization at various

Dr. Dan Ingram is currently a Future Leaders Research Fellow at the University of Kent. Dan is a Scientific Councilor for the Aquatic Wild Meat Working Group of the Convention on Migratory Species and has a special interest in migratory megafauna. Dan is also a founding member of the WILDMEAT project which aims to develop an evidence-base on the hunting, consumption, and trade of wildlife,

Dr. Margaret Hunter directs the Conservation Genetics laboratory at the U.S. Geological Survey in Gainesville, Florida. She is also an adjunct faculty member at the University of Florida, College of Veterinary Medicine, Aquatic Animal Health Program. Dr. Hunter’s research focuses on conservation genetics and genomics of imperiled and invasive species for conservation and management efforts. She uses environmental DNA (eDNA) to characterize species’ range-boundaries and

Dr. Charles Innis received his bachelor’s degree in biology from Cornell University and his doctorate in veterinary medicine from the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine. He has been working full time at New England Aquarium since 2005, where he is currently Director of Animal Health. He holds adjunct teaching positions at Tufts University Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine, University of Connecticut, and Mount

Dr. Thomas Leuteritz is a herpetologist and conservation biologist for the U.S. Government, responsible for scientific evaluations and recommendations pursuant to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES). Before joining the government, Thomas worked as the director of the Smithsonian’s Gabon Biodiversity Program managing a country program to reduce the effects of the oil industry on biodiversity. He

Miriam Marmontel is a Brazilian oceanographer who specializes in aquatic mammals, particularly the Amazonian manatee. She became involved with aquatic mammals in the late 1970s while at the Universidade do Rio Grande in her native Brazil and holds a MSc degree from University of Miami. While pursuing her PhD at University of Florida, she developed a method to estimate age in manatees, and applied it