Jessica Sportelli (she/her) is a bioacoustician passionate about marine mammal research, education outreach, and conservation. She received her Masters degree in Marine Biology at Scripps Institution of Oceanography (UCSD) where she identified and described killer whale call types in the Eastern Canadian Arctic. Her work has taken her from the Canadian Arctic studying beluga whale behavior, to the rescue, rehabilitation and release of California’s seals and sea lions. She is currently focused on identifying changes in acoustic features of bottlenose dolphin whistles to classify changes in health status as part of the Sound and Health research team at NMMF. Jessica is also involved in the Southern Resident Killer Whale conservation efforts by collaborating on the SRKW health database. When she is not at work or volunteering her time at education outreach events, Jessica enjoys playing tennis, going on hikes, playing board games, and trying all the different coffee shops around SD.
