Dave Wiley

Dave Wiley is the Research Coordinator for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Agency’s (NOAA) Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary and has been investigating the marine environment for over 25 years. He received his PhD in Environmental Studies from Antioch University with a focus on environmental decision-making and conservation biology. Dr. Wiley’s research has ranged from studying the reproductive and foraging ecology of endangered whales to mapping marine toxic/hazardous dump sites. He has worked with fishermen to redesign fishing gear to reduce the risk of whale entanglement and pioneered methods to successfully rescue mass stranded whales and dolphins. His research led to the shifting of shipping lanes into the port of Boston, MA as part of an international effort to reduce the risk of ship strike to endangered whales. Currently he is leading a multi-organizational study using advanced telemetry and novel visualization software to explore the underwater behavior of endangered whales. His results have appeared in numerous scientific journals ranging from Animal Behaviour to Conservation Biology. He is the recipient of numerous awards including a Switzer Environmental Leadership Award, Gulf of Maine Visionary Award, and the Society for Marine Mammalogy’s award for Excellence in Scientific Communication. He has been recognized as NOAA’s Employee of the Year for science; Office of National Marine Sanctuary’s Science Team of the Year and awarded the US Department of Commerce Individual Gold Medal for scientific leadership. He and his family spent much of 2011 in New Zealand conducting research on marine protected areas as part of an Ian Axford (Fulbright) Fellowship. His research has been featured on the Discovery Channel, BBC documentaries, National Geographic and National Public Television and Radio, and was profiled in the recently published WILDLIFE HEROES, as one of the 40 top wildlife conservationists of our time. He is also adjunct faculty in the College of Science and Mathematics at the University of Massachusetts Boston.