Dolphin Biology People: Nina

Nina Santostasi first joined our small team in 2011, when she came to Galaxidi to study dolphins as a research assistant.

She soon became an important component of the group, and in 2012 she worked with us for several months, this time in the context of her M.Sc. in Eco-Biology at ‘Sapienza’ University of Rome, Italy. Her thesis project focuses on the use of individual photo-identification as a tool to obtain estimates of dolphin population size in the Gulf of Corinth.

Her previous experience includes participating in bottlenose dolphin research around the Italian island of Lampedusa, in the ‘Isole Pelagie’ Marine Protected Area. In 2011 she was awarded a fellowship by North Carolina State University, USA, where she integrated her curriculum with Statistics and Conservation Biology courses. In 2012 Nina joined us in the Argolikos Gulf, Greece, and helped collect data on dolphin-fisheries interactions.

Along the way, Nina has become an expert in the use of Program MARK, and we hope that she will find her professional path in the tough microcosm of cetacean science.