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Ailbhe Kavanagh

Post Doctoral Researcher
Environmental Research Institute
MaREI Centre
Beaufort Building
University College Cork
IMERC Campus, Ringaskiddy
Co. Cork, Ireland

T: +353 214 486 4359
E: ailbhe.kavanagh@ucc.ie

Dr Ailbhe Kavanagh is a post-doctoral researcher in the Marine Ecology Group in the MaREI Centre, UCC. Ailbhe is a marine biologist with research interests in marine mammal ecology, behaviour, and conservation.

Her previous research experience includes otter and harbour seal diet, and population ecology of bottlenose dolphins in Irish waters. She worked on the BRAHSS Project (Behavioural Response of Humpback Whales to Seismic Surveys) for five years. As part of BRAHSS she was responsible for maintaining and running the six land-based data collection platforms, coordinating up to 50 volunteers working each year in the field, she coordinated the behavioural response experiments as trial director, and was involved in vessel based tagging, biopsy sampling and focal follow of whales during the field season.

Ailbhe is currently working on a research programme funded through the SFI MaREI Centre with KOSMOS energy examining the distribution of cetaceans in Irish waters. The project aims to establish the spatial and temporal coverage of cetacean sightings data for Irish waters, to highlight gaps in survey coverage, and to target data gaps by deploying marine mammal observers on naval, research and other vessels of opportunity.





Book Chapters

YearPublication
(2016)'Addressing Challenges in Studies of Behavioral Responses of Whales to Noise'
Douglas, H. C., Dunlop, R. A. Noad, M. J. McCauley, R. D. Kniest, E., Paton, D., Kavanagh, A. (2016) 'Addressing Challenges in Studies of Behavioral Responses of Whales to Noise' In: The Effects of Noise on Aquatic Life II. New York: Springer Science & Business Media, LLC. [DOI] [Details]

Peer Reviewed Journals

YearPublication
(2016)'Factors affecting the reliability and validity of behavioural datasets: assessing the impact of observers’ native language and experience on studies of wild animals'
Kavanagh, A. S., Goldizen, A. W., Blomberg, S. P., Noad, M. J., Dunlop, R. A. (2016) 'Factors affecting the reliability and validity of behavioural datasets: assessing the impact of observers’ native language and experience on studies of wild animals'. Aquatic Mammals, [DOI] [Details]
(2016)'The effect of close approaches for tagging activities by small research vessels on the behavior of humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae)'
Williamson, M. J., Kavanagh, A. S., Noad, M. J., Kniest, E., Dunlop, R. A. (2016) 'The effect of close approaches for tagging activities by small research vessels on the behavior of humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae)'. Marine Mammal Science, [Details]
(2010)'Diet of the harbour seal (Phoca vitulina vitulina) on the west and south west of Ireland'
Kavanagh, A; Cronin, M; Walton, M; Rogan, E; (2010) 'Diet of the harbour seal (Phoca vitulina vitulina) on the west and south west of Ireland'. Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom, 90 (8):1517-1527 [Details]

Unpublished Reports

YearPublication
(2008)The foraging ecology of the harbour seal (Phoca vitulina vitulina) in Ireland.
Cronin, M. A.., Kavanagh, A. & E. Rogan. (2008) The foraging ecology of the harbour seal (Phoca vitulina vitulina) in Ireland. Unpublished Reports [Details]

Conference Contributions

YearPublication
(2013)The 20th Biennial Conference on the biology of marine mammals (SMM),
Williamson, M.J., Dunlop, R.A., Kavanagh, A.S., Noad, M.J., Kniest, E., Cato, D.H. (2013) The short term effect of small research vessels on the behaviour of humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae). [Poster Presentation], The 20th Biennial Conference on the biology of marine mammals (SMM), Dunedin, New Zealand . [Details]
(2013)The 20th Biennial Conference on the biology of marine mammals (SMM),
Kavanagh, A.S., Dunlop, R.A., Blomberg, S.P., Goldizen, A.W. & Noad, M.J., Kniest, E., Cato, D.H. (2013) The social functions of surface-active behaviours in migrating humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae). [Poster Presentation], The 20th Biennial Conference on the biology of marine mammals (SMM), Dunedin, New Zealand . [Details]
(2011)The 19th Biennial Conference on the biology of marine mammals (SMM),
Kavanagh, A.S., Dunlop, R.A., Goldizen, A.W. & Noad, M. J. (2011) Measuring natural behavior in migrating humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae). [Poster Presentation], The 19th Biennial Conference on the biology of marine mammals (SMM), Tampa, Florida . [Details]
(2011)25th annual meeting of the European Cetacean Society,
Rogan, E., Kavanagh, A., McHugh, B., Englund, A., Hernandez-Milian, G., Ingram, S (2011) Using ecological tracers to differentiate bottlenose dolphin populations: the case of bottlenose dolphins in Ireland. [Oral Presentation], 25th annual meeting of the European Cetacean Society, Cadiz . [Details]
(2008)The 22nd Conference of the European Cetacean (ECS),
Kavanagh, A.S., Cronin, M., Rogan, E. (2008) Determination of the diet of the harbour seal (Phoca vitulina vitulina) in Ireland. [Poster Presentation], The 22nd Conference of the European Cetacean (ECS), Netherlands . [Details]
(2007)The 17th Biennial Conference on the biology of marine mammals (SMM),
Kavanagh, A.S., Cronin, M., Rogan, E. (2007) Determination of the diet of the harbour seal (Phoca vitulina vitulina) in Ireland. [Invited Lectures (Conference)], The 17th Biennial Conference on the biology of marine mammals (SMM), South Africa . [Details]

Education

 YearInstitutionQualificationSubject
2014The University of Queensland PHDBehavioural Ecology
2008University College Cork MScZoology
2002Trinity College Dublin B.A. (Mod.)Science
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