CV | oceans

Education

University of Oxford, UK (Sep 01 – Jun 04) BSc Biological Sciences

University of Southampton, UK (Sep 04 – Jun 05) MSc Oceanography

University of Western Australia (Sep 12 – Feb 16) DPhil Marine Ecology

Key Professional Achievements

2017 Lead scientist on the Pangaea Initiative

2016 Doctorate (PhD) received & featured in BBC series, Ingenious Animals

2015 Winner of the University of Western Australia’s Biological Arts Prize

2012 Field Scientist at Blue Ventures in Madagascar

2011 Winner of the Asscn. of British Science Writer’s Richard Gregory Award

2009 Environment reporter for New Scientist, Nature and the Guardian

2007 Helped to create and manage BBC Bloom, a climate change website

2005 Awarded First Class for MSc dissertation at University of Southampton

2005 Winner of a Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) MSc Award

2004 First class for BSc dissertation at University of Oxford

2002 Organised University of Oxford canoeing expedition to West Papua

2001 Winner of Oxford University Scholarship for ranking 5th in exams

Overview

I currently lead the Pangaea Initiative, a $22 million philanthrophy-based project dedicated to studying the role of sharks on coral reefs. I lead expeditions on board the MY Pangaea, conduct research, manage a team of technicians and enjoy communicating the results to the public and policy makers – an important step towards halting declines in sharks.

My PhD suggested that sharks regulate fish populations in unexpected and powerful ways. Not only do they influence fish abundance, size, diet, trophic level and growth rates, but also their condition. The research generated seven publications, and a feature I wrote for Australasian Science was selected by the anthology Best Australian Science Writing 2017.

In 2016 I was selected as a presenter for a 4-part BBC One nature series, Ingenious Animals. I went in search of the elusive platypus and explored parallels between its sophisticated hunting style and that of hammerhead sharks. I also participated in the release of a rehabilitated sea turtle called Jude on the Great Barrier Reef. The series aired in October.

I also worked as a field scientist, dive master and blogger for a conservation NGO based in a shark fishing community in Madagascar for a year, where I trained 20+ volunteers on a six-week basis to survey the reefs. In 2007-2011, I worked as a science reporter in London at the BBC, New Scientist, Nature and the Guardian.

Employment

Postdoctoral Research Fellow

Marine Futures Lab, University of Western Australia: March 16 – present

I manage the Pangaea Initiative, a 5-year research program dedicated to studying the role of sharks on coral reefs. We use a suite of innovative, non-lethal techniques including catch-and-release sampling via fly fishing and seabed-based and mid-water stereo-video systems to characterise shark and fish assemblages using stable isotope, genetic and morphometric analyses. To date, we have conducted expeditions to the British Indian Ocean Territory (April 16), Cocos Keeling islands (Nov 16), the Great Barrier Reef (April-June 17) and northwestern Australia (July 17).

Science presenter
BBC One, Ingenious Animals: Oct 15-Oct 16

I was selected as a presenter for a primetime nature series examining unusual adaptations in animals. In the episode “Bodies” I help platypus expert Josh Griffith to trap one of Australia’s oddest animals. Platypus, like hammerhead sharks, are sophisticated hunters that integrate electrical signals and pressure waves to strike at prey with deadly accuracy. As part of the series we used mounted Go Pros and acoustic tags to capture the first movements of a rehabilitated green sea turtle on the Great Barrier Reef. The series aired in October 2017 and I am currently discussing more opportunities with National Geographic.

PhD candidate

University of Western Australia & Australian Institute of Marine Science: Feb 12 – Feb 15

My PhD explored whether sharks regulate the abundance of reef fishes, in addition to their size, diet, behaviour, trophic level, growth rate and condition. The research was based on a natural experiment in northwestern Australia: while fishers have removed sharks from the Scott Reefs, sharks are abundant at a nearby marine reserve, the Rowley Shoals. By comparing these locations, my PhD provided insights into the function of sharks on reefs at large scales, giving rise to seven science publications. I authored a cover feature for Australasian Science that was selected for the anthology Best Australian Science Writing 2017, and the research also led to articles on the BBC and the Conversation.

Head Field Scientist

Blue Ventures NGO: April 11 – March 12

Head Field Scientist at Blue Ventures, a marine conservation NGO that established Madagascar’s first community-managed marine protected area. I trained 20+ volunteers and community members during 6-week expeditions to conduct underwater visual surveys of fish populations and coral diversity and bleaching. I also ran a long-term monitoring program of the critically endangered spider tortoise Pyxis arachnoides, discovered a new population of the blind cave fish Typhleotris spp. and recorded the first sighting of the Madagascan fish eagle Haliaeetus vociferoides in the southwest since 1975.

Science Reporter

BBC, New Scientist, Nature, Nature Climate Change, the Guardian: 2007-2011

Science reporter writing news articles and long-form features for print and online for the BBC (2008-2010), New Scientist (2010-2011) and other platforms such as the journal Nature (2010-2011) and the Guardian newspaper. Key foci included the environment, marine biology, conservation, climate change and technology. See a sample of articles by outlet in the attached document or on my website: http://shantabarley.wixsite.com/oceans.