Dr. Michelle Caputo is a cetacean ecologist and conservation biologist currently working as a post-doctoral research associate with Florida International University’s Marine Conservation Ecology Laboratory. She completed her MSc at Memorial University in Newfoundland, Canada, and earned her PhD at Rhodes University, South Africa, where she studied the occurrence of coastal dolphins off a remote area of coastline.

Following her doctoral studies, Michelle continued as a post-doctoral researcher, studying the ecology of cetaceans primarily in tropical and subtropical habitats, including South Africa, Madagascar, Mozambique, and Seychelles. Her work is largely field-based, and her expertise includes trophic ecology, dietary niche analysis, population ecology, and habitat modelling.

She is particularly interested in understanding the role of cetaceans in their communities and ecosystems, including their contributions to ecological processes such as food web dynamics and nutrient cycling. Michelle participates in an ongoing project in Seychelles with Dr. Jeremy Kiszka, investigating the role of island-associated dolphins around D’Arros Island and Saint Joseph Atoll.

Dr. Caputo has published her research in international peer-reviewed journals, presented at international conferences, and is an active member of the Western Indian Ocean Marine Science Association (WIOMSA) and the Women in Marine Science (WiMS) network.