Gina Lonati
Ph.D Candidate
Gina began her PhD in the Davies Lab in 2020. She’s originally from New Jersey, USA, but she has studied and worked in Maine, Massachusetts, North Carolina, Florida, and now Saint John, NB. Gina received a B.A. in Biology from Bowdoin College in 2012 and an M.Sc. in Marine Biology from the University of North Carolina Wilmington in 2014.
In 2017, she attended a conference in Halifax, NS and learned about the plight of the North Atlantic right whale. The discussions and lectures inspired her to return to academia and devote her PhD research to studying right whale physiology and foraging ecology. Part of her research involves the use of novel drone and remote sensing technology to measure the blowhole temperatures of right whales and establish baselines for future health monitoring. She is also exploring the vertical distribution of right whale food in the Gulf of St. Lawrence, Canada using a variety of underwater sensors and nets.
Previously, Gina has worked on a variety of research projects, including growth dynamics of sea urchins in the lab and field (Honours Thesis), diving and lipid physiology of toothed whales (Master’s Thesis; Lonati et al. 2015; Lonati et al. 2019), and age estimation using manatee earbones (Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission; Lonati et al. 2019: Lonati et al. 2021).
Besides her passion for marine mammals and research, Gina also enjoys playing/coaching volleyball, crafting, and outdoor activities like hiking, amateur drone flying, photography, and frisbee.
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