Dr. Sean Williamson, Researcher

Sean conducted research to improve the odds for leatherback hatchlings, and his work focused on building consensus among scientists on efforts to decrease East Pacific leatherback hatchling mortality. He also helped to prepare leatherback turtle hatchling dispersal field experiments at Pacuare Nature Reserve on the Caribbean coast of Costa Rica.

Sean has a PhD in Biology on the ecophysiology of embryonic development in turtles and crocodiles from Monash University, Melbourne, Australia.

Stephanie Rousso, Researcher

Stephanie is a PhD student at the Polytechnic Marine Science Center (CICIMAR-IPN) in La Paz, Baja Sur, Mexico and five-time Rufford Foundation fellow. With Upwell, she investigated the "Spatial Distribution of Five Sea Turtle Species within Fishing Zones of the Southern Gulf of California." She used a citizen science approach to work with local communities to report incidental sightings of sea turtles and collaborates with a set of small-scale fishers to report sightings and bycatch during fishing trips.

Aileen Lavelle, Researcher

Aileen investigated sea turtle bycatch in artisanal fisheries in Sinaloa, Mexico, as a model for implementing camera technology to improve bycatch characterization in remote areas on small-scale fishery (SSF) vessels. The project collaborated with local fishers trained and permitted through a Mexican nonprofit, Grupo Tortuguero de Las Californias (GTC), to elucidate regional bycatch hotspots and encourage transparent fishing practices.

Aileen has her B.S. in Environmental Sciences from the University of California, Berkeley. Aileen is currently a Master’s student in Coastal Environmental Management at Duke University.