THE TEAM
PROJECT LEADER & SHARK RESEARCHER:
M. Sc. CLARA E. CALATAYUD PAVÍA
Clara earned her degree in Biological Sciences from the University of Barcelona, specializing in Marine Zoology and Ecology and a Master's degree in Oceanography and Resource Marine Management. In 2016 Clara started the Pelagic Shark Monitoring Programme while working with local shark tour operators, establishing the first pelagic shark research in the area.
She began her career in 2006, leading a sea turtle nesting project in the Seychelles. She later worked for the Spanish National Research Council State Agency using R.O.V’s for the research of Mediterranean deep-sea ecosystems and deep gorgonian assemblages in submarine canyons. In 2015 she founded The Shark Odyssey NGO, a citizen science initiative collecting shark population data across Baja California Sur. Clara was the former Executive Director of Fundación México Azul from 2018 until 2023 and got the first Latin-American Microsoft AI for Earth Grant. In 2019 she worked with Mexican government institutions for the inclusion of mako sharks in the Appendix II of CITES. In 2022, Clara was the scientific director of the first Blue shark Mediterranean monitoring program, using shark attraction techniques to estimate blue shark abundance in Cadaqués underwater canyon.
LOGISTICS MANAGER:
MIGUEL ÁNGEL ELICECHE
Miguel Angel Eliceche Constantini is a shark behavioral expert, professional shark guide, and co-founder of Cabo Shark Dive (@cabosharkdive), the first shark eco-tourism operation established in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. Miguel is an accomplished freediver who has spent more than 3000 hours as a professional shark guide in Cabo waters since 2015. Miguel is actively involved with Baja Shark Lab in shark research and conservation projects.
He is also an R.O.V pilot collaborating with Samantha Shwann and Clara Calatayud surveying the underwater canyon of Cabo San Lucas. Miguel is an essential member for the Mako shark Satellite tagging due to his local ecological knowledge of Cabo San Lucas waters and his skills manipulating shortfin mako sharks.
SHARK RESEARCHER:
Dr. KATY AYRES
Katy holds a PhD in Marine Sciences and is a National Geographic Explorer. Her research focuses on shark aggregations in Cabo Pulmo, utilizing drones, acoustic tags, and satellite tags to track shark movements and monitor their populations within the park (@sharkwatch). She has published several papers on oceanic blacktip shark migration in Cabo Pulmo and recently authored an article about orcas feeding on whale sharks.
Katy is also part of the Beneath the Waves team as a shark researcher. She is part of the Pelagic Shark Monitoring Program, contributing to data analysis, and manuscript writing. Since 2022, she has worked as a shark guide with the local operator Latitude Encounters.
SHARK RESEARCHER:
Dr. JAMES KETCHUM
Dr. James Ketchum is Director of Marine Conservation, co-founder of Pelagios Kakunjá and President of its Board of Directors. He has studied sharks and migratory pelagic species since 1998 and holds a Ph.D. in Ecology from UC Davis. James is currently the director of the Biotelemetry and Ecology of Marine Megafauna Laboratory at Pelagios Kakunjá.
His research focuses on the ecology and behavior of sharks in the Gulf of California and Mexican Pacific, specifically about nursery areas of hammerheads and the spatial ecology of several other species. Dr. Ketchum plays and important role in the mako shark satellite tagging project supporting the team with his tagging experience and satellite data management.
