Postdoctoral Scholar
barlowd@oregonstate.edu

Profile Field Tabs

Biography
Credentials: 
Ph.D., Wildlife Science, Oregon State University, 2022
M.S. Wildlife Science, Oregon State University, 2018
B.S. Organismal Biology, Pitzer College, 2016
B.A. Environmental Policy, Pitzer College, 2016
Research/Career Interests: 

My research interests are in the ecology and conservation of marine mammals. In particular, I study what drives when and where these animals can be found and how their distribution overlaps with human activities, using tools such as spatial statistics, bioacoustics, and oceanography.

My masters research investigated the distribution, residency patterns, population connectivity, and abundance of blue whales in New Zealand. Working together with an international team of scientists, we documented a unique population of ~700 blue whales that are genetically distinct and present in the South Taranaki Bight (STB) region year-round. In addition to being an important foraging ground for blue whales, the STB region is heavily used by industry, with active oil and gas exploration and extraction, vessel traffic, and proposed seafloor mining. Subsequently, my doctoral research focused on the ecology of this New Zealand blue whale population, bringing together multiple data streams to understand their habitat use patterns and inform conservation management efforts through the OBSIDIAN project. In my PhD, I harnessed a variety of analytical tools to build an increased understanding of environmental forcing on prey availability and blue whale distribution patterns, paving the way for dynamic management, and yielding new insights into habitat use and life history patterns of a population. 

 As a postdoctoral scholar, I will be investigating harbor porpoise and gray whale distribution patterns in the nearshore waters of the Northern California Current over three decades through the EMERALD project. 

Professional Preparation: 
Instructor: FW 251 Principles of Fish and Wildlife Conservation, Oregon State University, 2018
Instructor: FW 303 Survey of Geographic Information Systems in Natural Resources, Oregon State University, 2017-2018
Teaching Assistant: BIOL 169 Marine Ecology, Keck Science Department of Claremont McKenna, Pitzer, and Scripps Colleges, Claremont, California. 2015–2016.
Research Assistant: Humpback Whale Acoustics Project, Alaska Whale Foundation, Frederick Sound, Alaska. 2015.
Research Assistant: Marine Ecology Lab, Keck Science Department of Claremont McKenna, Pitzer, and Scripps Colleges, Claremont California. 2013–2015.
Research Assistant: Ecology and Social Structure of the Southern Australian Bottlenose Dolphin in Adelaide’s Metropolitan Waters, Cetacean Ecology, Behaviour, and Evolution Laboratory, Flinders University, Adelaide, Australia. 2014.
Intern: Steven Morgan Lab, University of California Davis Bodega Marine Laboratory. 2013.
Intern: MPAtlas Project, Marine Conservation Institute. 2012.
Intern: Applied California Current Ecosystem Studies (ACCESS) project, PRBO Conservation Science, Petaluma, California. 2011–2012.
At OSU
Affiliated with: 
Geospatial Ecology of Marine Megafauna Laboratory (GEMM Lab)
Headquarters: 
Hatfield Marine Science Center
My Publications