Dr. Kaitlin Frasier (Principal Investigator)
Dr. Kaitlin Frasier is an Associate Researcher at Scripps Institution of Oceanography, and Principal investigator of the Scripps Machine Listening Laboratory. As an observational oceanographer, her research focuses on understanding oceanographic and ecosystem baselines, discerning event impacts, and quantifying spatial and temporal trends. Her observational strategy of choice is passive acoustic recording, coupled with machine learning-based and traditional computational acoustic analytical methodologies. Her aims are to maximize the variety and detail of information that can be extracted from underwater passive acoustic recordings, not only by documenting the occurrence of signals themselves but also by inferring environmental parameters or source behaviors based on signal distortions imposed by propagation through the ocean medium. Her research involves the collection and analysis of long duration, broadband, spatially-distributed passive acoustic recording datasets collected through a robust deep mooring field program. Dr. Frasier is particularly interested in the synthesis of observations across platforms to understand large-scale spatiotemporal patterns and trends in ambient noise and ecological activity, as well as direct/indirect effects of ocean variability, climate change and human activities through sound.
Dr. Alba Solsona Berga (Assistant Project Scientist)
Dr. Alba Solsona Berga specializes in acoustic ecology, studying how marine mammals adapt to environmental changes, both natural and human made. Using long-term acoustic recorders and ocean dynamics sampling tools, she explores marine mammal behavior and distribution in areas heavily impacted by human activities. By blending biology with computer science, she has created innovative software solutions to analyze extensive acoustic datasets, including tools for recognizing beaked whale signals, monitoring sperm whale populations, and predicting species distributions and behavioral responses using statistical models. A significant part of her research focuses on the impacts of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, naval sonar exercises, and natural environmental changes on marine mammals, providing deep insights into how these creatures adapt to a changing world.
Dr. Vanessa ZoBell (Postdoctoral Scholar)
Dr. Vanessa ZoBell is a postdoctoral researcher in the Scripps Machine Listening Lab at Scripps Institution of Oceanography. Vanessa is interested in finding solutions for the modern ocean by collaborating with diverse partners, leveraging big data, and developing models to identify creative and innovative techniques to reduce noise pollution in critical marine habitats. Her research contributes to the development of the blue economy and sustainable marine transportation, informing both research as well as international policy. Her multidisciplinary approach aims to bridge the gap between cutting edge research and actionable solutions, moving toward a sustainable future for the ocean.
Dr. Joe Walker (Postdoctoral Scholar)
Dr. Joseph Walker is a Schmidt AI in Science postdoctoral fellow in the Scripps Machine Listening Lab at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography (SIO). His focus lies in the development of software for signal detection and classification within underwater image and acoustic datasets. His current project involves developing real-time processing capabilities for low-power autonomous systems. He received his PhD in Applied Ocean Science at SIO under the supervision of Dr. Kaitlin Frasier in 2023.
Staff
Bruce Thayre (Development Technician)
Bruce Thayre is a Marine Technician for the Marine Bioacoustics Research Collaborative, and the Co-Chief Scientist for this expedition with numerous successful operations under his belt. Bruce is really looking forward to calling this research mission another win, by recovering all of the moorings that have been recording the underwater soundscape of the Gulf of Mexico for the last year. He is also excited for the incredible sunsets to come. Bruce made sure to bring a hard drive full of movies so he can disconnect on the rare occasion there is a short break between operations. An extra pair of sunglasses is another item you will always find in his backpack, as working on ships often means breaking sunglasses or watching them slowly sink into the ocean!
Kieran Lenssen (Development Engineer)
Kieran Lenssen is a Research Engineer at Scripps Institution of Oceanography. He received his BA in physics from Whitman College in 2019 and MS in mechanical engineering from Washington University in St. Louis in 2021. He first joined the lab as an MPL intern working in the hydrophone lab, designing and prototyping a modular hydrophone system. His current work focuses on the hydrophone and datalogging systems, as well as developing new recording systems.
Jonathan Stewart (Technician)
Jonathan Stewart is an Oceanographic Instrumentation Technician at Scripps Institution of Oceanography. He received a bachelor's degree in marine biology from the University of California, San Diego in 2014. His current work focuses on maintaining acoustic research instrumentation and related moorings, both at sea and in the lab. Jonathan has spent much of his life exploring the Pacific coast from Alaska to southern Mexico. He continues to share his passion for the marine environment as an outdoor educator and sailing instructor.
Itzel Perez-Carballo (Research Analyst)
Itzel Perez-Carballo is a research analyst in the group, she received her B.S. in Marine Biology in 2019 and her M.S. in Management of marine and coastal ecosystems in 2024 from Universidad Veracruzana in Mexico. She studies the ecology of sperm whales in the Southern Gulf of Mexico to gather information that can contribute to the conservation of this species and other marine mammals. Itzel entered the lab as a visiting student in 2021, as part of The LISTEN GoMex Project. She is also actively involved in an outreach collective called @Divulgologas, dedicated to sharing different scientific topics with people of all ages.
Shelby Bloom (Research Analyst)
Shelby Bloom is a Research Analyst in the group. She earned her B.S. and M.S. degrees in marine biology at Scripps Institution of Oceanography. In her undergrad, Shelby interned with the Dolphin Cognition lab, where she assisted in and led animal training sessions of bottlenose dolphins involved in the lab’s studies. Her M.S. research coupled passive and active acoustic data with physical oceanographic observations to investigate cetacean predator-prey dynamics within the Southern California Bight. She now mostly works as a data processing specialist, processing raw passive acoustic data into audio files and long-term spectral averages for various research groups, but also continues some acoustic data analysis. Outside of the lab, you can usually find Shelby eating spicy foods down by the beach.
Abby Lindemood (Faculty Assistant)
Abby Lindemood serves as a faculty assistant and provides day-to-day lab management and administrative support. She earned both her BS and MS in Marine Biology at University of California, San Diego in 2021 and 2022, respectively, studying invertebrate ecology and molecular biology. As a SoCal native, she has spent much of her life in and around the ocean and looks forward to continuing to support the group’s efforts in oceanic observation. When she’s not running around the lab, Abby is usually working on some sort of crafting project or spending time outdoors with her two Shibas.
Students
Michaela Alksne (PhD candidate)
Michaela Alksne is a PhD student in biological oceanography at Scripps Institution of Oceanography. She earned her B.S in Marine Biology from the University of California, San Diego in 2020. She is interested in using passive acoustic monitoring to investigate the biogeography of cetaceans in the northeastern Pacific ocean. Her current research leverages novel machine learning tools to study long-term spatial-temporal trends of large baleen whales in Southern California. If she's not writing and wrangling Python scripts in her office, Michaela is often found surfing nearby.
Katrina Johnson (PhD student)
Katrina Johnson is a PhD student in biological oceanography at Scripps Institution of Oceanography. She earned her B.S. in Biology from Bates College in 2021 and her M.S. in Oceanography from Scripps Institution of Oceanography in 2024. Katrina's research focuses on quantifying and modeling ship noise as well as understanding the impacts of ship noise on marine mammals in the Gulf of Mexico and Arctic regions. When she's not in the lab, you can find Katrina in the water surfing and sailing or in the mountains biking, hiking, and skiing.
Aaron Deans (PhD student)
Aaron Deans is a Ph.D. student in Biological Oceanography at SIO. He earned his B.S. in Marine Biology from UCSD in 2023 with a minor in Music. Aaron spent two years with the Scripps Acoustic Ecology Lab as an undergraduate researcher before beginning his graduate studies. His current research aims to uncover the ecology and distribution of cryptic cetacean species using real-time acoustic detection. Aaron can often be found producing electronic music or hunting for cute bars in San Diego.
Kasey Castello (PhD student)
Morgane Dackiw (MS student)
Morgane Dackiw is a graduate student in Biological Oceanography at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography. She earned her B.S. in Biology with a spatial ecology focus from Tufts University in 2023. Morgane’s research focuses on the automatic detection and species differentiation of cetaceans using passive acoustic monitoring. Her primary interest is in understanding how cetacean populations adapt to both natural and anthropogenic environmental changes. In her free time, she enjoys biking, gardening, swimming, and making pottery.
Former Students:
Vanessa Zobell (PhD, 2023)
Joe Walker (PhD, 2023)
Natalie Posdaljian (PhD, 2023)