Elena is an Austrian biologist with a Master of Science in Marine Conservation from the University of Oviedo, Spain. Her research centers on marine mammals, particularly innovative, non-invasive methods for studying free-ranging odontocetes. She’s been involved in amazing work collecting blow samples from short-finned pilot whales and participating in tagging campaigns for elusive beaked whales in the Canary Islands. Elena recently co-authored a scientific paper on genetic sex determination in pilot whales and continues to explore ways to bridge field research with conservation impact.

She’s also a certified Marine Mammal Observer and PADI diver, combining her technical skills with a deep commitment to ocean advocacy. This summer, she’ll join cetacean research in Húsavík, Iceland, focusing on photo-ID and humpback whale tagging, adding yet another chapter to her journey of protecting marine life through science and storytelling.

The cetacean blow sample research was under the supervision of Laura Miralles-Lopez.

Instagram Elena Turac: elena_ourania Instagram Sabine M. Probst: sabinemprobst Instagram Podcast: impact.storytelling.podcast