Jo Wiszniewski is interested in using genetic and behavioural techniques to answer questions in behavioural ecology and wildlife conservation.

Jo graduated with a Bachelor of Marine Science from Macquarie University in 2004. She continued at Macquarie University and completed her PhD in 2010. Her PhD investigated the genetic structure, social organisation and mating system of bottlenose dolphins.  During her time at Macquarie University, Jo also worked on a number of other research projects, including a study of the phylogeography of Amazonian fish and a project on the population structure of two dolphin species in the Azores archipelago.

After finishing her PhD, Jo moved to Flinders University in Adelaide for a post-doc project on the population structure of sperm whales in Australian. This project was conducted using contemporary samples and historical samples dating back 60 years.

Jo started working at Taronga in November 2010 as a Research and Conservation Coordinator. She facilitates the development of research projects at the zoo and is also a member of the zoo’s Animal Ethics, Animal Welfare, Conservation and Environmental Sustainability Committees.