Please note: On Tuesday, November 10, the Aquarium’s West Wing will be closed for exhibit maintenance.
The Atlantic harbor seals will temporarily be off exhibit while we improve their habitat for their comfort and well-being.
Our Experts
Philip Hamilton
Senior Scientist
Kraus Marine Mammal Conservation Program, Anderson Cabot Center for Ocean LifeEducation
MS, Biology, University of Massachusetts Boston, 2002
BA, Environmental Studies with a concentration in Biology, State University of New York at Binghamton, 1986
About
Philip Hamilton has been studying North Atlantic right whales since 1986, when he led the right whale photo-identification efforts at the Center for Coastal Studies on Cape Cod. In 1989, he began working for the New England Aquarium, where he managed the North Atlantic right whale photo-identification catalog (rwcatalog.neaq.org) for over 30 years. In 2003, he received a National Science Foundation grant to develop software to manage all aspects of the images and data in the catalog (DIGITS). Since passing on the mantel of Catalog manager, Philip is now focused on modernizing the DIGITS system for the web and writing papers. Besides software development and database management, his other interests over the years include right whale behavior (including associations), disease, and genetics. He works closely with colleagues from St. Mary’s universities in Canada to link and query the genetic and photo-identification databases.
Affiliations
CV
Recent Publications
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Pedigree-Informed Abundance Estimation for the Endangered North Atlantic Right Whale (Eubalaena glacialis) via Gametic Mark-Recapture
Aquarium Affiliate Author(s): Moira Brown, Ph.D., Philip Hamilton, Scott Kraus, PhD
Published January 16, 2026 -
North Atlantic right whale Eubalaena glacialis summer habitat in the southern Gulf of St. Lawrence, Canada: 2017-2019
Aquarium Affiliate Author(s): Hansen Johnson, PhD, Amy Knowlton, Philip Hamilton
Published December 04, 2025 -
Unobserved Individual and Population Level Impacts of Fishing Gear Entanglements on North Atlantic Right Whales
Aquarium Affiliate Author(s): Amy Knowlton, Heather Pettis, Philip Hamilton
Published February 12, 2025
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Anderson Cabot Center for Ocean Life
Through pioneering conservation research and strategic partnerships, our team of 40 scientists works to combat the unprecedented impacts on the ocean from climate change and other human activities.
