Our Experts

Education

PhD, Biology, University of St Andrews, 2019

MRes, Marine Mammal Science, University of St Andrews, 2012

BSc, Animal Sciences, Cornell University, 2009

About

Bethany Roberts joined the Anderson Cabot Center for Ocean Life at the New England Aquarium in 2026 as a Research Scientist and curator of the Sightings and Effort Database. She is a marine mammal bioacoustician whose research focuses on how whales and dolphins use sound for communication, behavior, and navigation. Her interest in bioacoustics began at Cornell University, where she analyzed North Atlantic right whale vocalizations to support conservation efforts for this critically endangered species. She later joined the Duke Marine Lab team to investigate how bottlenose dolphins use vocalizations in waters near an active military base and how pilot whales use sound during deep dives. Dr. Roberts earned her Ph.D. from the University of St Andrews, where she studied how acoustic signals can be used as indicators of behavior, presence and location in delphinids. Her work has included field research along the U.S. East Coast and internationally in Iceland, Scotland, and Germany, using passive and active acoustic monitoring to improve methods for detecting and understanding whale populations.