Our Experts

Education

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

• Learn more about Liz Burgess’s work
• Google Scholar