Dr Els Vermeulen has been a researcher at the University of Pretoria (UP) since her postdoctoral appointment in 2015. A Belgian national, she did her undergraduate studies at the University of Antwerp.
In 2017, she took the reins as research manager of the Whale Unit at UP. The unit is part of the University’s renowned Mammal Research Institute (MRI) and is an internationally established whale and dolphin research hub. “Considering the unit’s extensive knowledge base, I feel fortunate to be able to lead its work forward,” Dr Vermeulen says.
The Whale Unit was established in 1985 and has become a globally recognised leader in cetacean (whales, dolphins and porpoises) sciences. Researchers there investigate the ecology, population dynamics and behaviour of cetaceans from southern African waters into the Southern Ocean, with the principal objective of providing knowledge that will promote their conservation.