Y
Whale and dolphin biologist
- PhD student, University of Haifa
- Field biologist, Project CETI
- Head of the Israeli deep diving cetacean project
About myself
I fell in love with the sea at a very young age, ever since I couldn't understood why the Little Mermaid would give everything up to walk on land, when all I ever wanted was a set of fins. I'm fascinated by the deep sea and the secrets it holds - and with it, a deep passion for the world of deep-diving cetaceans, especially sperm whales.
Although sperm whales are found across the globe, I consider myself a true Mediterranean fan. The Mediterranean Sea holds a special place in my heart, and even though it's the busiest and most polluted sea in the world - or perhaps because of that - I'm deeply committed to protecting it and the species that call it home.
My dream is to work with and for the deep-diving cetaceans of the eastern Mediterranean, bringing together both scientific collaborations and public engagement to study and conserve these remarkable animals. I believe our greatest strength as scientists lies in working together and sharing knowledge to better understand and protect the natural world - all while maintaining a healthy work-life balance and appreciating the beauty that surrounds us.
- 2017 – PresentThe Israeli Dolphin Project
Long-running research on dolphin populations along the Israeli coastline, tracking abundance, distribution, and social structure across multiple species in the Eastern Mediterranean.
- 2017 – 2022TursioMed & InterMed
Collaborative research projects with WWF Italy–Switzerland — a pan-Mediterranean network of dolphin scientists working together to share data and knowledge on dolphin populations across the Mediterranean Sea.
- June 2018ACCOBAMS Survey Initiative
Participated in the ACCOBAMS Survey Initiative in the Mediterranean Sea, contributing to one of the most comprehensive assessments of cetacean populations across the basin.
- 2019 – 2021"Shark in the Stream" Community Project
Each winter, warm water discharged from the power station in Hadera draws dozens of dusky and sandbar sharks close to shore. To protect these species and manage human interaction, I co-led this project alongside local organizations and the municipality.
- 2022 – 2027Field Biologist, Project CETI
Cetacean Translation Initiative — applying advanced machine learning and gentle robotics to decode sperm whale communication. As field biologist, I work directly with sperm whale units in the Eastern Caribbean.
- 2023 – 2026Well-being in Academia
As student representative in the European Cetacean Society (2022–2024), I initiated a workshop series helping students improve their well-being throughout their academic journeys.
- 2023 – 2027The Israeli Deep Diving Cetacean Project
Co-initiated with Dr. Aviad Scheinin and funded by the Ministry of Energy, this is the first project of its kind to study the abundance and distribution of deep-diving cetaceans in Israel's economic waters — a meaningful first step toward my dream of working with sperm whales and bioacoustics in the Mediterranean.
Publications & Conferences
- Publication
Description of a collaborative sperm whale birth and shifts in coda vocal styles during key events. Aluma, Y., Baron, Z., Barrett, R., Baumgartner, C., Beguš, G., Bhattacharya, S., Bronstein, M.M., Dahan, S., Davis, O., De Haas, S. & Defoe, J. Scientific Reports, 16(1), 9206.
- Conference
Multilayer networks reveal behavior-dependent leadership dynamics in sperm whale units. ECS 37th Conference, Dundee, Scotland.
- Publication
Investigating the presence of different bottlenose dolphin ecotypes in the Mediterranean Sea. Bellingeri, M., Nebuloni, A., La Manna, G., Akkaya, A., Alessi, J., Arcangeli, A., Ascheri, D., Awbery, T., Azzinari, G., Azzinari, C. & Azzolin, M. Scientific Reports, 15(1), 5526.
- Publication
Automatic detection and annotation of eastern Caribbean sperm whale codas. Gubnitsky, G., Mevorach, Y., Gero, S., Gruber, D.F. & Diamant, R. Scientific Reports, 15(1), 12790.
- Publication
Bottlenose Dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) Along the Coast of Israel: Abundance and Social Structure. Mevorach, Y., Galili, O., Bigal, E., Goffman, O., Roditi-Elasar, M., Zuriel, Y., Kobo, K., et al. Aquatic Conservation: Marine and Freshwater Ecosystems, 35(8), e70181.
- Publication
Source Separation of Sperm Whales' Echolocation Clicks. Gubnitky, G., Mevorach, Y., Tchernov, D. & Diamant, R. IEEE Transactions on Audio, Speech and Language Processing.
- Publication
Predicting mesoscale movement of sperm whale units in the Caribbean based on social dynamics. Mevorach, Y., Maalouf, A., Gubnitsky, G., Tønnesen, P., Gruber, D.F., Rus, D., Tchernov, D. & Gero, S. Scientific Reports, 15(1), 39150.
- Conference
IPI distribution as a tool for passive acoustic monitoring of well-known sperm whale units. ECS 35th Conference, Italy.
- Publication
Two Decades of Coastal Dolphin Population Surveys in Israel, Eastern Mediterranean. Galili, O., Goffman, O., Roditi-Elasar, M., Mevorach, Y., et al. Biology, 12(2), 328.
- Publication
Cetaceans in the Mediterranean Sea: Encounter Rate, Dominant Species, and Diversity Hotspots. Gnone, G., Bellingeri, M., Airoldi, S., Gonzalvo, J., David, L., Di-Méglio, N., Cañadas, A.M., Akkaya, A., Awbery, T., Mussi, B., Campana, I., Azzolin, M., Dede, A., Tonay, A.M., Monaco, C., Pellegrino, G., Tepsich, P., Moulins, A., Arcangeli, A. & Labach, H. & 24 others. Diversity, 15(3), 321.
- Publication
Common dolphins (Delphinus delphis) in Israel: Unique dynamics of a critically endangered population. Mevorach, Y., Scheinin, A., Galili, O., Santostasi, N. L. & Tchernov, D. Frontiers in Marine Science, 9, 916950.
- Conference
What can be done to save the common dolphin (Delphinus delphis) in Israel? ECS 33rd Annual Conference, Israel.
★ Best Talk Award - Report
Report on the Distribution and Abundance of Marine Mammals along the Israeli Coastline. Submitted to the Israeli Nature and Parks Authority. Mevorach Y., Galili O., Elasar M.R., Scheinin A.
- Conference
Bottlenose dolphins in Israel. World Marine Mammal Conference, Barcelona, Spain.
Studies & Qualifications
- BSc in Marine BiologyBen-Gurion University of the Negev · 2015–2018
- Marine Mammal Summer CourseDalhousie University · 2018
- MSc in Marine BiologyUniversity of Haifa · 2019–2021Magna Cum Laude, Dean's Excellence Award. Thesis: Population Dynamics of Common and Bottlenose Dolphins along the Israeli Coast
- Bioacoustic and Communication Summer CourseUniversity of southern Denmark · 2024
- PhD StudentUniversity of Haifa - Project CETI · PresentInvestigating the The influence of social structure on communication complexity of sperm whales (Physeter macrocephalus) with Dr. Shane Gero and Prof. Dan Tchernov
One of my first exciting experiences as a marine biologist was being selected for a full scholarship to the Marine Mammal course at Dalhousie University in Halifax, Canada. This renowned two-week course is led by one of the most established marine mammal science labs in the world, headed by Prof. Hal Whitehead. After completing the course, I decided to change my plans and forgo traveling to western Canada so I could stay and volunteer in the lab, contributing to data processing for the Dominica Sperm Whale Project. That decision turned out to be one of the best I've ever made - it eventually led me to pursue my PhD with this incredible project.
Vision
My vision is to bridge science and society. I believe that even the most innovative research is more powerful when it's accessible and meaningful to the public. I aim to promote the conservation of the Eastern Mediterranean Sea by working side by side with fellow scientists and connecting local communities to the incredible marine life it holds and showing how human presence shapes this environment. I'm especially passionate about introducing people to the acoustic world of cetaceans - a world rich in communication, language, and culture. It may not be easily captured in a photograph, but once understood, it's truly captivating. I'm completely hooked - are you?
Want to join my vision?
I believe the world of marine mammals and their fascinating vocalizations should be accessible to the curious public through media — including videos, posts, and of course, sound clips. I try to share this passion on my personal social media, and you're welcome to follow along. Tips, questions, or DMs are always welcome!