Elizabeth Zwamborn, PhD

Assistant Professor of Biology; Co-chair, Department of Geography and Environment
I believe learning about the world around us cultivates wonder, humility, and responsibility. My goal is to inspire discovery, deepen appreciation for creation, and encourage students to engage in lifelong meaningful stewardship.

Dr. Zwamborn studies the social and behavioural lives of cetaceans, focusing on understanding the "group life" (e.g., collective decision-making and other within-group behavioural ecology) of long-finned pilot whales in eastern Canada. Her work is rooted in strengthening connections between science, local communities, and conservation. An important component of Dr. Zwamborn's work is collaboration with community members to share knowledge, support public education, and foster stewardship of the marine environment. A central aim of her research program is to translate insights from cetacean behaviour into meaningful conservation applications. Dr. Zwamborn is currently expanding her research to better understand how long-finned pilot whales are responding to rapidly changing ocean conditions. This includes non-invasive analyses of skin lesions using photo-identification data. Dr. Zwamborn holds a BSc in Biology (Ecology Emphasis) from Trinity Western University, as well as a MSc and PhD in Biology from Dalhousie University. She teaches a wide range of ecology and zoology courses, including several field courses in the Gulf Islands, northeastern Vancouver Island, and Haida Gwaii.

More information can be found at: http://www.pilotwhalesofcanada.com

PhD (Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS; 2024)
MSc (Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS; 2016)
BSc (Trinity Western University, Langley, BC; 2013)

Expertise

My research focuses on cetacean behavioural ecology, with particular emphasis on long-finned pilot whales. Key areas include group life (e.g., collective decision-making, synchrony, and group formation) and vocal communication in relation to behavioural context and social organization. I am especially interested in how these processes shape coordination within highly social marine mammal societies, including in the context of mass strandings. Current work is expanding to better understand how pilot whales respond to changing ocean conditions through behavioural and ecological adaptations.

Key areas: Cetacean behavioural ecology; long-finned pilot whales; collective decision-making; synchrony and coordination; vocal communication; group formation; mass strandings; stranding response; marine mammal ecology; behavioural adaptation; marine conservation science; science education and outreach.

Awards & Honours

  • TWU Provost Research Grant, “Investigating temporal shifts in lesion prevalence in Canadian long-finned pilot whales”, $6750 CND (2025-2027)
  • Fisheries and Oceans Canada Habitat Stewardship Program Grant, $51,000 to further Species at Risk monitoring and outreach programs in northwestern Cape Breton, Nova Scotia (2020-2022)
  • Fisheries and Oceans Canada Habitat Stewardship Program Grant, $51,000 to further Species at Risk monitoring and outreach programs in northwestern Cape Breton, Nova Scotia (2018-2020)
  • ABS Amy R. Samuels Cetacean Research Award, $2,000 USD (2018)
  • PADI Foundation Grant, $3,888 USD (2018)

Recent Publications

A. Read, E. Betty, E.M.J. Zwamborn, A. Harshbarger and M. Martins. (2025). Pilot Whales Globicephala Lesson, 1828. Handbook of Marine Mammals, edited by Thomas Jefferson.

A. Eguiguren, S. Walmsley, L.J. Feyrer, E. Zwamborn, and H. Whitehead. (2025). The role of touch in marine mammal society: a review and future directions. Animal Behaviour. DOI: 10.32942/X2NM0Q

E.M.J. Zwamborn, S. F. Walmsley, and H. Whitehead. (2023). Flanking female guides: collective decision-making in long-finned pilot whales. Animal Behaviour. DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2023.09.007

E.L. Betty, E.M.J. Zwamborn, M. Weyn, E. Luck, Filipe Alves. (2023). Reproductive parameters, sociobiology, and mating strategies of pilot whales. Sex in Cetaceans, edited by B. Würsig and D. Orbach. Springer.

E.M.J. Zwamborn, N. Boon, and H. Whitehead. (2023). Collective decision-making in marine mammals. Mammal Review. DOI: 10.1111/mam.12321

M. Mrusczok, E.M.J. Zwamborn, M. von Schmalensee, S. Rodríguez Ramallo, and R. Stefansson. (2023). First account of apparent alloparental care of a long-finned pilot whale calf (Globicephala melas) by a female killer whale (Orcinus orca). Canadian Journal of Zoology. DOI: 10.1139/cjz-2022-0161

Affiliations & Memberships

  • European Cetacean Society. Member.
  • Society for Marine Mammalogy. Member.

BIOL 281 General Ecology
BIOL 308 Vertebrate Zoology
BIOL 360 Invertebrate Zoology
BIOL 362 Marine Ecology
BIOL 366 Ecology of Haida Gwaii
BIOL 375 Marine Mammals
BIOL/GENV 409 Thesis Prep
BIOL/GENV 410 Thesis
BIOL/GENV 484 Conservation Biology
GENV 374/375 Internship coordinator