It was never Sue’s plan to be a marine biologist or study cetaceans. However, it was the serendipitous involvement in humpback whale research that changed hers, and her husband’s lives forever.
Sue and her husband’s very first encounter with humpback whales was with an aggressive competitive pod in Hawaii. The pod comprised of over 20 whales, all competing for the attention of the single female. Now fascinated by whales and whale research, they kept returning to Maui to help with the project for several more years. With an increasing passion for Science and research, Sue decided to put her teaching career on hold. Returning to Monash University as a mature-aged student, she completed her Science degree with Honours. Sue’s Honours research introduced her to the Port Phillip common dolphins and she was able to further her understanding of the community during her Ph.D. Sue completed her Ph.D. at Curtin University and supported by the Dolphin Research Institute.
For over 10 years, Sue was the Research Director at the Dolphin Research Institute. During the majority of this time, Sue also juggled her teaching career along with her Ph.D. research.
After leaving the Dolphin Research Institute, Sue had the privilege of teaching Science at Camberwell Girls Grammar School. This was the first time she had taught in a single-gender school, and the experience reinforced to her the need to support females who are driven and want to do well academically.
Sue is determined to share her passion for good Science through Cetacean Science Connections and support females interested in Science through Cetacean Sisters. She hopes her to engage and inspire people through her wealth of knowledge of common dolphins, humpback whales, and the marine environment. Sue looks forward to engaging, educating, and inspiring as many students and cetacean citizen scientists as possible.