Paola Lacetera

Paola Lacetera is a marine ecologist and PhD candidate at Deakin University, working in collaboration with French research institutions to investigate the factors influencing orca distribution in south-eastern Australia and around St Paul and Amsterdam Islands in the southern Indian Ocean. Her research focuses on poorly studied orca populations that frequently interact with fisheries through depredation, the behaviour of taking fish directly from fishing lines, and aims to better understand the ecological drivers and consequences of these interactions for orcas, fisheries, and marine ecosystems. Through this work, she hopes to contribute to both ecological knowledge and improved coexistence and management strategies. 

Originally from Italy, Paola moved to Scotland to complete a Bachelor (Hons) in Marine Biology at the University of Aberdeen, where she investigated harbour seal movements and Area Restricted Search feeding behaviour. She later completed an international Master’s degree in the management and conservation of megafauna across multiple European universities, during which she conducted research on the population structure and social dynamics of bottlenose dolphins in Port Phillip Bay. Her passion for marine mammals then brought her to Australia, where she worked as a whale watching guide with Wildlife Coast Cruises before beginning her PhD.