***Remote Speaker***

Aran Mooney is a marine biologist focusing on the sensory biology and bioacoustics of marine organisms. He received his B.S. from the University of New Hampshire (2000; Biology with Spanish minor) and a M.S. (2003) and Ph.D. (2008) from the University of Hawaii (Zoology – Marine Biology emphasis). At UH Mooney conducted research on acoustically reducing dolphin and porpoise bycatch and the effects of noise on marine mammals. After his degree, Dr. Mooney worked at the Marine Biological Laboratory and then the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) as a Postdoctoral Scholar.  He is currently an Associate Scientist at WHOI.  Dr. Mooney’s research focuses on sensory biology and particularly how marine animals detect, use and are affected by sound.  This involves measuring sound sensitivity in a diversity of marine animals, monitoring biological activity and reef health via underwater soundscapes, defining hearing capabilities in organisms not previously known to use sound, such as squid and cuttlefish and developing new sensors to measure sound production, biodiversity and animal behaviors. To achieve these tasks, he works with engineers to develop new sensors and biologging tags.

WHOI