A marine ecologist specializing in predator-prey interactions and the ecological importance of sharks and other large marine species, Heithaus is the principal investigator and co-principal investigator on grants totaling $28 million. His research leverages a number of cutting-edge technologies, including drones and animal-borne cameras, to unravel the mysterious lives of hard-to-study marine creatures. His work in Shark Bay Australia is the most detailed study of the ecological role of sharks in the world. Working with several prominent non-governmental organizations, it has been used as the underpinning for affecting positive policy changes. Research Areas My research is focused on understanding how predator-prey interactions structure communities with a particular focus on the role of non-consumptive predator effects ("risk effects"). I am particularly interested in the role of upper trophic level marine predators in their communities and ecosystems, and how ongoing reductions in their populations are likely to impact marine communities. Recently, I have also begun investigating the importance of individual foraging specializations on mediating the ecological impacts of predators, particularly their role in transporting nutrients across ecosystem boundaries.