While many dream of studying these incredible animals, it is easy to feel discouraged by the thought of spending many years getting a PhD before contributing to their research and conservation. But here’s a little open secret: you don’t need a PhD to make meaningful contributions to the field. To prove it, we asked six inspiring early-career women to share how they carved out their niche in marine mammal science, offering insight and inspiration on where a master’s degree can take you.
Exploring Diverse Career Paths
The marine mammal field is wonderfully diverse. With a master’s degree, you can:
Work with Government Agencies
Agencies like NOAA (in the USA) or Fisheries and Oceans Canada often hire researchers at the master’s level to monitor whale populations, assess human impacts, and contribute to conservation policies. For example, you could analyze acoustic data to track whale migrations or help develop regulations to reduce ship strikes.
Example: Nadia Facciola is a scientist at the Canadian federal government: “For the past two years, I’ve worked as a scientist at Environment and Climate Change Canada, studying contaminants in Arctic marine mammals, especially ringed seals, with some work on beluga whales. My work includes a mix of lab work, data analysis, writing scientific papers, and creating reports for Indigenous communities that consume these animals. My supervisor and I also visit Arctic communities to learn from their Indigenous knowledge about marine mammals, share our research findings, and develop ways we can collaborate to address their questions and concerns about contaminants in seals.”
Join Non-Profits
Organizations like Orca Conservancy or Ocean Wise need passionate scientists who can combine research with public education. With a master’s in hand, you could coordinate citizen science programs or lead research on emerging threats like marine debris.
Example: Kendra Nelson (known on social media as IntertidalKendy) has a BSc in biology from Brigham Young University in Hawaii. She now is the Board Secretary for Orca Conservancy, a nonprofit NGO in Washington state that is focused on protecting killer whales and their habitats: “We do a variety of work, like salmon habitat restoration, our AI Hydrophone project, and in 2023 we worked alongside DFO and NOAA to help free two male transient killer whales from Barnes Lake in Alaska. We also work in the policy and regulations realm. Orca Conservancy supported and advocated for the removal of the Klamath River dams in California, which have officially been removed this year!” She added that her work can be extremely varied: “Working in the nonprofit sector means wearing many hats – there is a lot of work to do!”
Collaborate with the Private Sector
Environmental consulting firms such as SMRU Consulting often seek marine mammal specialists with masters’ to conduct environmental impact assessments.
Example: Maddie Matei is a marine mammal scientist for SMRU Consulting who specializes in underwater acoustics. She told us about the variety of research projects she gets to work on: “A lot of my work involves the detection, classification, and localization of marine mammals by listening to their vocalizations via underwater microphones. I also work on various projects aiming to characterize noise levels from human activities and ways to reduce impacts on marine mammals.” She added that she “started working full-time as a marine mammal scientist right after [her] Master’s of Science by Research.” Maddie holds a master’s from the University of St Andrews.
The emergence of tools like drones, hydrophones and machine learning for photo identification means new opportunities are cropping up that didn’t exist decades ago. If you enjoy innovation, consider specializing in these areas to get noticed and start working on your dream whale research project.
Building a Strong Foundation
Your career path might look more like a meandering river than a straight channel—and that’s okay! Focus on:
Practical Experience
Seasonal field assistantships can teach you skills like deploying hydrophones, conducting behavioral observations, and collecting biopsy samples. Volunteering with stranding networks, like those run by the Marine Mammal Center, builds hands-on skills in necropsies and animal rescue. Eco-tourism roles, such as naturalist roles on whale-watching boats, can help sharpen your science communication skills.
Example: Miranda Molloy has a master’s from St Andrews University and decided to get experience and follow her passion by becoming a whale-watching guide in Vancouver. By doing so, she also helps contribute to research efforts in the Salish Sea: “Whale watch boats also can provide information that is useful to researchers. My company was part of the Pacific Whale Watch Association. So we contributed all of our sightings data to their database, which is not only shared with researchers, but also the Canadian Coast Guard’s Marine Mammal Desk and U.S. Coast Guard’s Cetacean Desk.”
Example: Emma Luck (known on social media as Northern.Naturalist) is a former whale-watching naturalist who transitioned into policy by leveraging her experience educating the public about conservation issues: “Conservation is not just about the animals–the human factor is essential to understand!”. She added: “When you work as a naturalist, you meet people from all around the world from many different backgrounds and must be able to communicate information in an effective way. Being able to translate complex scientific concepts and jargon to non-scientists is a vital skill, especially in policy arenas.” To do so, Emma decided to pursue a master’s in marine policy at the University of Alaska Fairbanks.
Developing Complementary Skills
There are many skills you could decide to focus on to get yourself noticed and start working on your dream project. Consider learning R, Python, or GIS for data analysis and spatial mapping. You could also train in drone operations to capture aerial footage for behavioral studies or build expertise in communication to bridge the gap between scientists, policymakers, and the public.
Example: Carissa Cabrera (known on social media as CarissaAndClimate) started working on marine mammals through rescue operations and stranding responses. She then leveraged her expertise in media and communication to launch her own media company, FutureSwell to advocate for the future of our oceans. “Whether you are a communicator, analyst or advocate, whales will benefit from your skills. I no longer work directly with whales, but I continue to advocate for whales through policy, media, and storytelling – an important element to bridging knowledge gaps and inspiring action.”
Kendra added that having skills in social media and outreach could be a huge plus in contributing to the conservation of your favorite species. “I have participated in outreach events down in Seattle, helping connect with the public about our work and the endangered Southern Resident killer whales. I attend symposiums and conferences about marine mammal research and conservation. Additionally, I help write informative blogs for the organization’s website and write social media posts on new research. Social media and websites are a great way to reach people and educate people about marine mammals.”
Carissa also told us that interdisciplinary approaches can be beneficial to whale research as a whole and that having collaboration and outreach skills can make a big difference in conservation: “As we continue to overlap with the habitat of whale populations around the world, there is a need for compliance projects that minimize harm and impacts to whales. For example, working with the local fishing community to establish ship speeds, outreach to stakeholders, and quantify project impacts on local populations through environmental impact assessment.”
If you don’t know where to start in acquiring special skills or what jobs might be available to you, Emma had some great input: “Job boards are a great place to look if you are unsure about which non-academic career path you may want to take”. She added that checking these job offers might help you identify the skills recruiters are seeking.
You don’t need a PhD to contribute to peer-reviewed research papers
You don’t need a PhD to be part of groundbreaking research – valuable skills and networking can open many doors for collaboration with academic teams. Many whale research projects generate massive datasets that need processing, photo-identification catalogs that need maintenance, or drone footage that needs analyzing. If you are skilled with statistical software, GIS mapping, or data visualization, you are already valuable to research teams. Skills in graphic design or scientific illustration are also in demand, as communicating science to the public becomes increasingly important.
Emma became a coauthor on a research paper by doing photo identification: “After I finished my BSc, I volunteered my time with the community science platform Happywhale, where I manually photo-identified images of killer whales from around the world. This led to the discovery of the first match between killer whales in Iceland and Norway and eventually resulted in co-authorship on a peer-reviewed publication!”
The key is to approach these opportunities as professional collaborations, offering specific skills rather than seeking general involvement. Start by reaching out to research groups with a clear proposal of how you can contribute – you might be surprised by how many researchers welcome skilled collaborators, regardless of their academic credentials.
Let’s talk money and work-life balance for a second
Entry-level salaries may range from US $30,000 to $60-70,000, depending on the organization, country, region, etc. Government jobs often provide more stability and benefits, while non-profits may offer more diverse research opportunities but less pay. And when volunteering your time to contribute to research papers, most efforts are not rewarded financially, so it is something to note of course.
It’s also worth noting that working in the field can demand flexibility, such as being okay with working irregular hours (early morning boat surveys or overnight data collection) and long hours at sea in remote locations. Miranda shared some of her insight on seasonal jobs. “Note that naturalists are usually only employed March – October, (in the Northern Hemisphere) and peak season is May until September, so shifts are fewer in the shoulder months”. She then mentioned that she was working “12-14-hour days, 4-5 times a week” during peak season. Miranda also said that there were large differences between companies, with some paying as little as CAD $18 per hour, and others going up to CAD $27 per hour. She added that “it is not a steady income – if the weather or boat maintenance causes a sailing cancellation (which happens a lot for smaller boats), you are not paid for that day as you do not work.”
For those seeking steadier schedules, positions in the private sector or government often offer 9-to-5 stability while staying close to the science. Maddie had some great input about work-life balance working in the private sector: “[We have] time tracking tools within the company, which allow me to log out at the end of the work day and enjoy my hobbies or hang out with my pets. I still get to be part of innovative research and contribute to peer-reviewed scientific papers, but I get to do this in a sustainable way during work hours.“
Carving Your Unique Niche
While academia often promotes the PhD track, there are many other ways to make a difference in whale research and conservation. Focus on building practical skills, maintaining flexibility, and developing your specific interests within the field. Network whenever possible, but be genuine about it—the whale research community is small and values authentic connections.
Networking can take many forms. For example, Kendra mentioned that she had gotten involved with Orca Conservancy “through a swimwear collaboration that donated a portion of the proceeds to Orca Conservancy’s AI Hydrophone Project.”
Some of the most successful master’s level researchers have forged unique paths by combining marine mammal science with other skills. Here are three hypothetical examples:
- A master’s graduate and engineer develops an eco-friendly whale deterrent device, merging engineering with conservation.
- Another researcher bridges policy and science, working with the International Whaling Commission to draft international guidelines for whale-safe shipping routes.
- A data analyst turned conservationist creates an algorithm to match photo-ID data across multiple whale populations.
Your journey might not follow a traditional route, but that’s where the magic happens. Stay open to unexpected opportunities and embrace the chance to build a role that blends your passions and strengths. You got this!
Did you enjoy this article? Check out our other tips on how to turn your whale science dreams into reality:
Anaïs is the founder of Whale Scientists. She is a postdoc fellow at Simon Fraser University working on killer whale ecology, pollution, and health impacts. You can read more about her here.
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