Having grown up on the south coast of England, Thomas has always loved spending time in, on, or around the ocean. This has naturally led him to pursue a career in marine biology.
Thomas has recently completed an integrated master’s degree in biology at the University of Oxford and is planning to start a PhD soon. He has extensive research experience with marine mammals ranging from humpback whale migration patterns to orca photo-ID and investigating the abundance and distribution of cetaceans (dolphins, whales, and porpoises) off the Pacific coast of Costa Rica. He is also a qualified marine mammal surveyor with the NGO ORCA and regularly volunteers on surveys with them.
Most recently, he has worked on developing a method to estimate the body size of seals using drone imagery on a population scale. These body size estimates can be used to help model how seal populations are changing through time and in response to different pressures like climate change or disease. The information gained from the population models can then be used to help inform conservation strategies and the resolution of conflict between fisheries and seals.
In his spare time, Thomas enjoys hiking, scuba diving, kayaking, and music. He loves adventure, particularly to more remote places, and his travels have taken him all around Europe and most recently, to the Amazon and the Galapagos Islands. Thomas has always dreamed of visiting the polar regions and he is very excited to be joining an Adventure Canada expedition for the first time as a Researcher-in-Residence!