Courtney Shuert, PhD

Biologist and Eco-physiologist

I am a Research Scientist focusing on understanding how individuals respond to stress. I also have an interest in the use of advanced technologies, such as satellite telemetry and biologging devices, to reveal new information about the lives of animals when we cannot see them. In addition, I am looking at new ways we can examine body condition remotely to monitor population health and how we can understand how animal health links to movement ecology. I also currently serve as an Associate Editor with the journal, Arctic Science.

I originally received my Bachelors of Science in Zoology at Michigan State University, where I focused on Zoo and Aquarium Sciences. After undertaking an undergraduate research internship with the Alaska SeaLife Center, I decided to continue on with a career in research. I then moved to Fairbanks to work towards understanding the implications of novel research activities on an endangered species, the Steller sea lion (Eumetopias jubatus), under the advisement of Drs. J. Mellish and M. Horning. I received my Masters of Science in Marine Biology from the University of Alaska Fairbanks in 2015.

I then moved to the United Kingdom to pursue a Ph.D. in Biology at Durham University, under the advisement of Dr. S. Twiss. My Ph.D. research was focused on understanding the trade-offs in time and energy associated with aspects of consistent individual differences in behaviour and 'personality' in lactating grey seals on the Isle of May in Scotland. We found that these consistent individual differences modulated almost all aspects of time, behaviour, and energy, and remain an important aspect of understanding how managing stress can impact highly energetic periods of life history, such as during reproductive events. 

As a post-doctoral fellow with the Hussey Lab, I investigated changes in the migration and movement ecology of narwhal in the Canadian Arctic in the face of continued climate change, and partnered with Fisheries and Oceans to understand body condition and drone monitoring methods.

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