The Challenger Society for Marine Science

38th International Ethological Congress: Behaviour 2025

University of Bristol

I would like to thank the Challenger Society for Marine Science for supporting my attendance at the 38th International Ethological Congress: Behaviour 2025 in Kolkata, India, through the Travel Award. This was both my first opportunity to present research at an international conference and my first academic conference of any kind, making it an eye-opening and formative experience. With the Society’s support, I was able to share my work on marine bioacoustics and fish phenology with researchers from a wide range of behavioural biology disciplines. The chance to engage with experienced academics at this early stage of my career proved invaluable — providing insight into the diverse trajectories an academic path can take, exposure to cutting-edge developments in my field, and direct feedback on my work. Meeting leaders in the field and receiving their perspectives has been particularly inspiring, and I am now exploring new directions for my project as a result.

One of the most valuable aspects of this experience was that, because the conference was held in India, there was greater representation of primary researchers from Indian institutions than might typically be possible at other international meetings. My work focuses on marine bioacoustics in the Laccadive Sea, and hearing perspectives from those with an intimate connection to this ecosystem was uniquely informative. Equally, the opportunity to present new findings on charismatic and locally beloved species was deeply rewarding, and I am very grateful for the chance to do so.

More broadly, this experience has been hugely valuable for my professional development. It introduced me to inspiring people and vibrant cultures, and it has given me a renewed sense of motivation and optimism for the future of marine science at a time when it is most needed. I would like to express my sincere gratitude once again to the Challenger Society for Marine Science for making this opportunity a reality.

Awardee Profile:

I am a Master’s by Research student from the University of Bristol working on Marine Bioacoustics. I have spent the last two years working alongside the Manta Trust investigating the soundscape of the coral reef cleaning stations in the Maldives, sites characterised by intricate interactions between manta rays and their cleaners. My work focuses on temporal effects in the soundscape, exploring acoustic data to investigate biological rhythms and phenology of fish at these sites. My work combines hands-on field work and monitoring efforts with novel statistical methods, but I am passionate about science communication and promoting optimism about our oceans