Will Oestreich is a postdoctoral fellow advised by John Ryan. He earned his PhD in Biology from Stanford University, as well as MS and BS degrees in Environmental Engineering from Northwestern University. He also previously held positions at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution and the Natural Resources Defense Council.

Research Interests

I am an ecologist interested in the behavior and conservation of migratory animals in dynamic and changing ecosystems. I generally explore (1) how animals make foraging and migration decisions in the face of environmental variability and change; and (2) how we as humans can more equitably and effectively manage ecosystems to ensure the protection of vulnerable wildlife alongside essential human resource uses. In this work, I combine and develop approaches from behavioral ecology, bioacoustics, biological oceanography, and conservation science. 

At MBARI, I am investigating how social information and oceanographic drivers influence the behavior of both predator (blue whales) and prey (krill) groups in a patchy and dynamic marine ecosystem. By integrating persistent observational platforms in an oceanic habitat, this project aims to expand theoretical understanding of collective behavior and predator-prey interactions to include the dynamic and ephemeral nature of marine ecosystems.