Marine Vertebrate Ecology Lab
Eryn Sampson
Eryn is a research master’s student at the University of Technology Sydney (UTS) with the BEAM Lab.
A shell-wearing, dolphin-loving marine biologist from a small coastal town, Eryn is happiest in, on, or around the ocean. When she isn’t working on a whale-watching boat, she can usually be found scuba diving or snorkelling. Back on land, she enjoys bushwalking, camping, four-wheel driving, and photography.
After completing her Bachelor of Marine Biology and Climate Change in 2025, Eryn spent time researching newborn humpback whale calves with the East Coast Whale Study aboard Sea World Cruises. She also interned with Naturaliste Charters in Bremer Bay, Western Australia, where she contributed to research on Australia’s largest known aggregation of orcas before commencing her master’s degree. Her research interests include marine mammal conservation and ecology, ecological modelling, impacts of climate change on marine ecosystems, photo identification and cetacean population studies
Research
Mass stranding events represent one of the most significant yet poorly quantified sources of mortality for long-finned pilot whales (Globicephala melas edwardii) in New Zealand, a global hotspot for both cetacean diversity and strandings. Despite this, their cumulative impact on population persistence remains unknown.
Eryn's project will address this critical gap by developing the first integrated modelling framework to quantify how repeated strandings shape population trajectories and extinction risk. She will use a population viability analysis to estimate population trends, determine extinction risk, and identify intervention thresholds required to stabilise populations under current and future stranding events.
Supervisors: Dr Frédérik Saltré (UTS), Prof James Brown (UTS), and Dr Katharina J. Peters, Dr Emma Betty (Massey University)