Please note: From May 26 through the end of June, the Aquarium will be making exciting updates to our lobby. Construction should not affect your visit. For guests with sensory needs, KultureCity Bags will now be available at the box office. Thank you for your understanding!
Our Experts
Elizabeth Burgess, PhD
Senior Scientist and Department Chair
Wildlife and Ocean Health Program, Anderson Cabot Center for Ocean LifeEducation
PhD, Marine Biology, The University of Queensland, Australia, 2013
MSc (Hons), Marine Ecology, Massey University, New Zealand, 2007
BSc (Hons), Zoology, The University of Queensland, 2001
About
Dr. Liz Burgess specializes in noninvasive approaches to assessing marine wildlife health. Liz leads the development of innovative techniques to measure reproductive and stress hormones in free-swimming whales, including the use of exhaled respiratory vapor, or “blow.” Her research reveals patterns of reproduction, pregnancy, nutrition, and stress that are critical to understanding how animals survive in a changing environment.
With more than two decades of experience, Liz combines field and laboratory expertise to study a wide range of difficult-to-access species, including sea turtles, dugongs, manatees, baleen whales such as North Atlantic right whales, sperm whales, common dolphins, and elusive beaked whales. She collaborates globally with partners across sectors to advance conservation science and its application, informing population health assessments and risk assessment frameworks such as Population Consequences of Disturbance (PCoD).
Her work links individual health to population-level outcomes, providing actionable evidence for the conservation and sustainable management of ocean ecosystems.
Awards
- 2021 Folio Eddie Award – 1st place winner for “Excellence in Journalism”
- 2017 American Australian Association Sir Keith Murdoch Scholarship
- 2017 Christine Stevens Award – Animal Welfare Institute
CV
Featured Research
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A pilot study on surgical implantation and efficacy of acoustic transmitters in fifteen loggerhead sea turtles (Caretta caretta), 2021–2022
Aquarium Affiliate Author(s): Adam Kennedy, Jeff Kneebone, PhD, Emily Jones, Melissa Joblon, DVM, Kathryn Tuxbury, DVM, Elizabeth Burgess, PhDKara Dodge, PhD,
Published November 08, 2023 -
Body scarring as an indicator of social function of dugong (Dugong dugon) tusks
Aquarium Affiliate Author(s): Elizabeth Burgess, PhD
Published February 26, 2021 -
Stress and reproductive events detected in North Atlantic right whale blubber using a simplified hormone extraction protocol
Aquarium Affiliate Author(s): Elizabeth Burgess, PhD
Published January 12, 2021
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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.
