Katie Christman holds a Ph.D. in Experimental Psychology from the University of California San Diego (2024) and a Masters of Leadership Studies from Marshall University (2017). She began her marine mammal career earning a B.S. in Oceanography from the U.S. Naval Academy (2008) where her studies focused on the effects of military operations on beaked whale species. After completing her active duty service in 2014 she began working with the Navy’s marine mammal population and joined the National Marine Mammal Foundation in 2015. Her research focuses on marine mammal behavior, understanding auditory learning in marine mammals through physiology, and dolphin echolocation. One of her favorite aspects of working with the NMMF is training Navy dolphins and sea lions to perform complex behavioral research tasks. These activities not only enrich the animals’ lives but also generate scientific insights that support the conservation and well-being of wild marine mammal populations.
