Who am I?

Asha de Vos

I am a marine biologist with a strong affinity for marine mammals. Armed with degrees from the Universities of St. Andrews and Oxford I am currently reading for my PhD at the University of Western Australia. My research focuses on the blue whale populations around Sri Lanka and forms the first long-term study on this species within the northern Indian Ocean. I author regular submissions to the International Whaling Commission (IWC) on various aspects of marine mammals in Sri Lankan waters. I am a TED Fellow and a Duke University Global Fellow in Marine Conservation. 

I have been actively involved in Marine Conservation in Sri Lanka while working at the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and through consultancy work for the National Aquatic Research Agency (NARA). I have engaged in research and presented my work in the Maldives, New Zealand, Australia, Canada and the US. To this end, in June 2012 I was selected as a panelist for the Oceans themed Sustainable Development Dialogue at the UN organized Rio+20 summit in Rio de Janeiro. My work has been showcased internationally by Channel 7 Australia, the BBC and the New York Times and globally in the print media. I run this blog as part of my commitment to sharing knowledge and engaging more people in marine conservation. 

I coined the term 'the Unorthodox Whale' based on many years of research on the blue whales around Sri Lankan waters and a realisation that they were simply - different. I first presented the concept of 'the Unorthodox Whale' to the world at the TED2012 conference in Long Beach, California.