Harnessing Responsible AI for Marine Mammal Conservation

Dr Justine Boulent PhD

Lead AI Researcher, Whale Seeker

Justine Boulent, PhD, is Lead AI Researcher at Whale Seeker, where she designs AI systems for marine wildlife monitoring. With a strong focus on real-world challenges, her work bridges innovation and environmental impact and is driven by a broader interest in responsible AI, particularly how accountability, reliability, and sustainability can shape applied research.

Emily Charry Tissier

CEO & Co-Founder, Whale Seeker

Emily Charry Tissier is a biologist with 20 years of experience working in coastal and arctic ecosystems and a deep passion for leading multidisciplinary teams toward sustainable growth. Her field expertise and people skills make her a fierce leader who rallies those around her to reach their full potential. She was named one of the top 100 Brilliant Women in AI Ethics and has had her work recognised on numerous media platforms.

Niru Dorrian CSci CMarSci FIMarEST

Co-Chair Marine Mammals SIG, IMarEST

Niru is an offshore ecologist and marine mammal specialist with ESB. Formally educated in Marine Biology and a Chartered Marine Scientist and Fellow of the IMarEST, his journey encompasses diverse environmental and ecological project management and field work around the world on over 60 projects. Niru’s passion for marine mammals also extends beyond academia and industry, where he has dedicated 20 years to marine mammal rescue and rehabilitation, science communication outreach, mentoring, education and working with NGOs, and is the appointed Ambassador to the UN Ocean Decade by IMarEST.

Elizabeth Ferguson

Co-Chair Marine Mammals SIG, IMarEST

Liz is the CEO and Founder of Ocean Science Analytics (OSA), a company focused on research and providing technical training in oceanic and coastal environments. Liz brings extensive experience from her previous roles at Bio-Waves, and NOAA Fisheries. Her expertise includes passive acoustic data analysis, project management, PAM survey coordination, GIS analysis, and technical curriculum development. As a dedicated educator, she teaches biology and science education at multiple colleges and serves as the Executive Director of Expanding Your Horizons of San Diego, empowering young women in STEM fields.

Professor Marie Roch PhD

Professor of Computer Science, San Diego State University

Professor Roch’s research over the last two decades has focused on analyzing sounds produced by marine and terrestrial animals to answer questions related to presence, habitat use, communication, behavior, and conservation. Professor Roch designs machine learning algorithms to automate these analyses with a focus on robust methods that can be applied to field recordings. Her lab’s latest work has focused on applying deep learning methods that require large amounts of labeled training data (e.g., transformers, the technology behind Chat-GPT) to situations where limited labeled training data exist. In addition to her machine learning work, Professor Roch chairs a group developing ANSI standards for bioacoustics. Prior to focusing on bioacoustics, Professor Roch worked on telecommunications at AT&T Bell Telephone Laboratories