Hi, my name is Benia Nowak (she/her)!I am currently a PhD Candidate at the University of British Columbia (Vancouver, BC) supervised by Dr. Andrew Trites in collaboration with Dr. Kit Kovacs and Dr. Christian Lydersen (Norwegian Polar Institute). I am currently based at the Norwegian Polar Institute (Tromsø, Norway). My PhD research explores the influence of environmental conditions on movement patterns in the Spitsbergen population of bowhead whales (Balaena mystecetus) as well as their dietary specialization.
I completed my MSc at Dalhousie University (Halifax, NS) supervised by Dr. Don Bowen (Fisheries and Oceans Canada) and Dr. Sara Iverson (Ocean Tracking Network). This work investigated how environmental data can be collected by grey seals (Halichoerus grypus) as autonomous oceanographic samplers and the relationship between these conditions and foraging patterns at sea. I have worked on projects investigating the ontogeny of movement patterns in grey seal pups as well as inter-annual foraging site fidelity in adult grey seals. |