The European Polar Coordination Office (EPCO) welcomes its new Officer, Dr Kylie Owen. We are pleased to announce her appointment and invite you to learn more about her background below.

Dr Kylie Owen is an Australian Marine Biologist with expertise in whale ecology and experience working at the interface between research and policy. She completed a Bachelor of Science majoring in marine biology and zoology (The University of Melbourne, Australia) and holds a First-Class Honours Degree on the foraging ecology of small dolphin species (Monash University, Australia). Her PhD (The University of Queensland, Australia) focused on the feeding behaviour of humpback whales that spend the summer months feeding in Antarctica. She then moved to Alaska to complete a postdoctoral research role (Alaska Sealife Center, USA) working on many research projects focused on the foraging ecology and migratory behaviour of baleen whales, including a project in Antarctica. 

She has worked for the Australian Antarctic Division as a part of the Antarctic blue whale project and holds an Adjunct Researcher position at the Institute of Marine and Antarctic Studies in Australia. She also holds a Guest Investigator position at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution in the USA where she is a Principal Investigator on a multidisciplinary research project in Antarctica investigating the role of chemical sensing in whale foraging behaviour.

Since moving to Sweden in 2018, she has worked for the Swedish Museum of Natural History as a harbour porpoise expert, carrying out research and monitoring of the species. Her role included development and management of a research consortium across multiple countries, and advising the Swedish government on harbour porpoise research and management within international conventions (such the Agreement on the Conservation of Small Cetaceans of the Baltic, Northeast Atlantic, Irish and North Seas (ASCOBANS), and the Baltic Marine Environment Protection Commission (HELCOM)). She has been actively involved in eight international research projects around the world and has gained valuable experience at communicating research results to policy makers from multiple countries, ensuring effective use of research results internationally. She holds both Australian and Swedish citizenship.

We wish Kylie all the best in her new role and look forward to a productive and rewarding collaboration!