Dr Pacini is a researcher at the Marine Mammal Research Program. She has conducted her research in Portugal, Iceland, Spain, the Philippines, the Netherlands, Mexico and French Polynesia on the sensory abilities and behavioral ecology of cetaceans with an emphasis on hearing and echolocation. Her work includes investigating hearing in new species, hearing control in odontocetes and startle response with an overarching goal of predicting and mitigating the effects of human activities on marine megafauna. Dr. Pacini is also a consultant for various federal agencies and stakeholders and a member of the False Killer Whale Take Reduction Team.