After graduating with a degree in Natural Science (University of Cambridge), Tom completed a PhD with the University of Edinburgh, studying the potential impacts of whale-watching vessels on cetaceans in Iceland. Whale Wise grew out of this project, as more people became involved and our research diversified. After growing up in South Wales, Tom has studied whales in Iceland since 2017, and his work focuses on intersecting scientific research with local ecological knowledge to inform evidence-based conservation. He currently lives in the Westfjords, using drones and citizen science to better understand cetacean health, habitat use and movement patterns.

You can contact Tom directly by emailing tom.grove@whalewise.org

Alyssa is a marine scientist and storyteller based in the Icelandic Westfjords. Alyssa is the co-founder and co-director of Whale Wise, leading the charity alongside Tom Grove. Together, they oversee a range of research projects aimed at better understanding and protecting whale populations.

Originally from the US West Coast, she holds a BSc in Marine Environmental Science and an MSc in Marine Systems and Policies. Alyssa’s work in whale research began in 2014 in the South Pacific, and since 2018, she has concentrated on studying whales in Iceland.

Alyssa also has experience as a naturalist and science educator, with a strong commitment to public engagement and environmental education. Believing in the power of storytelling, she has produced both short and feature-length films to share the world of whale research with wider audiences. These can be found in the ‘Engagement’ section of the Whale Wise website.

You can contact Alyssa directly by emailing alyssa.stoller@whalewise.org

Amelie recently graduated with a master’s degree in biological oceanography in Kiel, Germany. She is further pursuing a graduate certificate in acoustics at the University of New Hampshire. During three years of travelling before uni she learnt from and contributed to different research groups, following her passion for marine science. Working in whale research along the way, she met Tom and Alyssa, and since then she’s been part of the team in Iceland. Amelie runs our acoustic research, understanding the underwater soundscape of North Iceland. Her projects include studying the impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic on the acoustic habitat of the humpbacks in Skjálfandi Bay (undergrad thesis), experimentally testing the noise of drones underwater, and describing the soundscape and occurrence of whales of the remote Finnafjörður (MSc thesis). Amelie is also the mum of two of our youngest team members, Phil and Line!

Flo graduated from McGill University (Montreal, Canada) with a Bachelors in Biology, with a concentration in marine biology. A class on marine mammals in the Bay of Fundy made her the whale enthusiast she is today. She completed her master’s dissertation in 2019 (Marine Systems and Policy, University of Edinburgh), where she assessed the ability of using drones to measure body condition of humpback whales in Iceland with Whale Wise. Flo now runs our diatom and co-runs our Scars from Above projects, as well as helping with all sorts of Whale Wise research and engagement projects. Her favourite whales are North Atlantic right whales because they are cute, slow and chubby.

Katie has always had a love for the ocean, having grown up on the East Coast of the U.S. Katie began studying whales in 2018 and has worked on a variety of research projects, primarily focusing on humpback ecology, from the Caribbean to the Pacific Northwest, the South Pacific, and now Iceland. Katie joined Whale Wise in 2022 and has worked primarily on our Scars from Above, Whales of Ísa, and Citizen Science projects. She also leads our grant fundraising, bringing experience in writing grants for environmental nonprofits. Katie holds a BA in Environmental Arts and Humanities and is currently pursuing a Master’s degree in Coastal and Marine Management at the University Centre of the Westfjords in Iceland. 

You can contact Katie directly by emailing katie.hall@whalewise.org

Sigrún is a local Icelander whose love for whales began in early childhood after learning the story of Keiko the orca. This passion led her to pursue an independent study in cetology, and she has since built a career bridging fieldwork, research, and public communication.

Based in Reykjavík, Sigrún works as a seasonal marine naturalist and whale‑watching guide, leading educational tours that inspire public interest in marine life. In addition, she has developed specialist expertise in killer whale identification, contributing to long‑term research efforts.

Since joining Whale Wise in July 2024, Sigrún has been actively involved in a variety of projects, including killer whale behavioural analysis, data entry for whale sightings across Iceland, audience engagement through social media, and delivering public talks. Her work is driven by a commitment to fostering awareness of marine conservation and connecting people with the wildlife we share our planet with.

When she’s not on the water or participating in research activities, Sigrún enjoys hiking, motorsport, travelling, and spending time with her cat, Max.

Despite growing up in the landlocked Czech Republic, Petr developed a passion for ocean science and marine fauna as a kid watching J. Cousteau’s docs and reading books about the marine environment. To carry on with this passion, Petr obtained a BSc in Zoology from the University of Aberdeen, where he focused on predator-prey interactions of Scottish bottlenose dolphins using acoustics. He then went on to get an MSc in Marine Mammal Science from the University of St Andrews, where he focused on habitat use of Antarctic pinnipeds in relation to oceanographic conditions. Petr has also participated in internships involving research on cetaceans and other marine predators, both in the Pacific Northwest and Northern Atlantic. After joining Whale Wise, Petr assisted with Arctic Sense expedition planning and communication with collaborators. Since then, he has supported the Scars from Above project and has been leading a project on the temporal variability in the acoustic presence of Svalbard’s cetaceans in relation to environmental and anthropogenic conditions.

Jess is a Zoology graduate from the University of Edinburgh. Whilst studying in Santa Barbara (California), she fell in love with living by the ocean and took many marine-focused, conservation classes. She has always felt a calling towards protecting the planet and she strives for a world that allows non-human animals and humans to thrive together. She met the Whale Wise team on a university webinar in her final year in 2021 and instantly was inspired by their work, passion and connectivity as a team! Upon joining, she created a short video for Whale Wise: a poem narrated by the women in the team exploring the importance of female whales! Since, she has lead our Project Porpoise: all about the impacts of the fishing industry on the harbour porpoise (one of the smallest cetacean species). She has joined many field seasons in Iceland, been an intern and also whale watching guide in Húsavík and taught whale and ocean themed yoga at the Húsavík Whale Museum. Jess is very passionate about achieving better animal rights globally, and also goes crazy for white beaked dolphins, loves musicals and barefoot running.

Growing up on an island and practising art, Rosemary decided to combine her two passions into one: using visual communication as a storytelling tool for marine conservation. She graduated from Green Mountain College with a BFA degree concentrating in whale conservation in 2018, and continues to use her degree in designing infographics and educational materials for the awareness of cetacean conservation. She has collaborated with The Nature Conservancy, Whale and Dolphin Conservation, New Bedford Whaling Museum, The Húsavík Whale Museum, and various other environmental-based organizations. She was introduced to the Whale Wise team in summer 2019, where she was interning with the University of Iceland in Húsavík, contributing to photo-identification and behavioural research in humpback whales. She is currently studying for her Masters of Science in Marine Conservation Biology, assists Whale Wise with research and design projects, assists with Northern Resident killer whale data collection in British Columbia, and operates her own graphic design and printmaking business in Block Island. 

Ben has an international background, originally from Hungary but grew up in the Turks and Caicos Islands, and has lived in Spain, Sweden, and now in Iceland. Ben developed a passion for marine mammals during his upbringing on Grand Turk. While pursuing his undergraduate degree in business and economics, Ben delved into the world of aerial photography as a drone operator, founding his own company in the process. However, the distance from the ocean while residing in the middle of Sweden left him feeling homesick. Seeking to deepen his love for the magnificent creatures of the deep, he decided to pursue his master’s studies in Coastal and Marine Management, allowing him to combine his business management background with his love for marine life. Ben’s journey brought him into contact with the Whale Wise team through a collaboration between his university and the organization. Currently, he is working on his master’s thesis, focused on mapping the distribution of humpback whales in Ísafjarðardjúp to facilitate responsible coastal anthropogenic activities. Ben’s partnership with Whale Wise ensures a close collaboration to achieve meaningful conservation goals. When he’s not scanning the horizon for glimpses of whales, Ben gravitates towards the water, indulging in various water sports such as sailing, kitesurfing, and canoeing.

Laura is currently pursuing her master’s degree in Marine and Coastal Management at the University Centre of the Westfjords in Ísafjörður, Iceland. Originally from Newfoundland & Labrador, she spent more than decade as a broadcast journalist on the east coast of Canada working in radio and television before deciding to channel the curiosity that drove her reporting towards pursuing her lifelong dream of researching whales and other cetaceans. She first learned about Whale Wise through a presentation on Scars From Above at her university and the project, along with their overall aim of reducing anthropogenic disturbances to whales, immediately caught her interest. She connected with the group a few months later and is thrilled to be working with them for her thesis research which will assess the importance of Ísafjarðardjúp for foraging humpback whales through boat and land-based surveys that will be conducted in the summer and fall of 2024.

Johanna started studying her master’s degree in Biological Oceanography at the GEOMAR in Kiel, together with Amelie from the Whale Wise team in 2021. Before her BSc in biology, she worked for several months in Greenland and on Svalbard. There, she worked on land and on ships, which awakened her passion about polar marine and terrestrial biology, how both influence each other, how strongly humans depend on and interact with the nature in these regions and how global change affects polar ecosystems. So, she made conservation biology and polar oceanography one of her major subjects in her bachelor and master studies, by completing a semester abroad at the University Center of Svalbard, the University Centre of the Westfjords in Iceland and the Greenlandic Climate Research Centre in Nuuk. When Johanna heard about Whale Wise for the first time she was very interested in our projects and fascinated about our passion. She offered her help and is currently working with data of the ongoing Scars from Above project from our recent field trips.

Ívar Örn is a local Icelander from Bíldudalur in Iceland and grew up there. Since childhood, Ívar has been interested in whales and marine life and has, among other things, worked at sea in commercial fishing. Unlike other members of Whale Wise, Ívar has a different background and education as a lawyer. However, Ívar has contributed his knowledge to assist the Whale Wise team, especially regarding citizen science, translations and statistics. Ívar is a proud member of the Whale Wise team and will carry on working with and assisting the other members.

Rebekka is a marine biologist from Norway, holding a Master’s degree in Ocean Resources from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU). She is passionate about marine biology, particularly cetacean research and conservation. Her deep passion for working at and by the sea arose from field trips during her studies and one of her previous jobs at a Norwegian salmon farm. Additionally, she has worked as a Biological Department Engineer at a research station of the Institute of Marine Research (IMR) in Norway. She is highly motivated to contribute to Whale Wise’s research and conservation efforts aimed at protecting cetacean populations and their ecosystems. Currently, she is doing so by manually analysing audio recordings from Skjálfandi Bay. During her free time, she enjoys hiking, swimming, kayaking, and free diving.

Josie graduated from Bath Spa University with a combined Ba/BSc in Music and Biology in 2021. She spent the following year in Mexico and Belize completing her PADI Divemaster and working in coral restoration. In 2023 she completed her masters degree from the University of Edinburgh in Marine Systems and Policy. Her dissertation focused on whale watching vessel behaviour using GPS data to inform marine spatial planning in Skjálfandi Bay which is how she became involved with Whale Wise. She has continued to work with Whale Wise, assisting with data analysis on multiple projects and is currently pursuing publication of her thesis.

While having felt a connection with the ocean for a long time, Malena encountered the whales for the first time while participating in the  monitoring of humpback whales, orcas and fin whales at the Pacific Canadian coast in 2023. This sparked her love for these animals and she  has been passionate about whales ever since. With an academic background in ecology, she eventually chose to do her internship of her master studies at the Húsavík Research Center for Cetaceans (University of Iceland). Malena is participating in the Scars from Above Project, for which she also carried out a case study in the context of her master thesis. She is holding a multidisciplinary perspective, seeking to challenge current anthropocentric lenses in research and conservation approaches, and to build bridges between different kinds of knowledge, scientific disciplines, as well as between our human and other species.

Helena graduated with a BSc in Geography from Kings College London in 2020 and since then has discovered her love of the ocean through sailing, learning to dive in UK waters and spotting Minke whales for the first time off the coast of Scotland. Using this passion Helena has spent the last few years working as an outdoor instructor educating young people about our seas and how to care for the environment. Now she is keen to deepen her knowledge of marine conservation and is delighted to be a part of the Whale Wise team.

Arianna, originally from Switzerland, is a second-year master’s student studying Animal Ecology at Lund University in Sweden. Growing up with a father passionate about diving, she found a deep appreciation for marine flora and fauna. In her bachelor’s studies, Arianna became increasingly drawn to conservation biology, animal behavior and ecology. Her volunteer work in Greece on sea turtle conservation and protection further established her passion for marine wildlife research. Her current research focuses on the communication of the Northern Bottlenose Whales (Hyperoodon ampullatus) in Iceland, in collaboration with Whale Wise and the University of Iceland. Her project focuses specifically on investigating the vocalizations of mother-calf pairs recorded in Icelandic waters. She hopes her work will contribute to Whale Wise’s efforts towards the conservation and protection of whale populations and their ecosystems.

Tereza graduated in 2017 with a Master’s degree in Nature Conservation from the Czech University of Life Sciences in Prague. Her final thesis focused on hydrobiological monitoring of freshwater ponds, where she studied hydrochemical parameters and changes in phytoplankton and zooplankton composition. In 2023, she moved to Iceland and saw whales for the first time, which changed her interest from freshwater ecosystems to the ocean. Tereza really enjoys supporting meaningful conservation projects and continuing to learn more about the protection of marine mammals. At Whale Wise, she helps with humpback whale photo identification from the Westfjords.