Erin Ross-Marsh (34) is doing a PhD in zoology at Stellenbosch University. Erin, who will submit her thesis – researching humpback whale bioacoustics – in October, is one of only a few people in South Africa to have ever studied whale song, and how whales communicate with one another. She hopes that her research will help to fill knowledge gaps about these mammals, and put Africa on the map for bioacoustic knowledge.