Caitlin O'Connell-Rodwell is a post-doctoral fellow in Stanford University's Department of Pediatrics and Hansen Experimental Physics Laboratory as well as a research affiliate at the Center for Conservation Biology. After earning her undergraduate degree in Biology at Fairfield University in Fairfield, CT, O'Connell-Rodwell obtained her Master's degree in Ecology, Evolution and Conservation Biology at the University of Hawaii at Manoa, Honolulu, HI before completing her Ph.D. in Ecology at the University of California, Davis's School of Veterinary Medicine's Department of Population Health and Reproduction.

O'Connell-Rodwell is currently exploring the capacity of elephants to detect seismic cues and her work in this area has resulted in numerous peer-reviewed publications. She is also investigating the anatomical features of the elephant that could play a role in seismic detection. In addition to her research on elephant vibrational sensitivity, she is currently exploring the plasticity of the auditory cortex in early development and the potential of treating the hearing impaired with vibration therapy.

O'Connell-Rodwell has received funding for her elephant studies from the National Geographic Society, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the National Science Foundation, TRAFFIC International, and several internal grants from Stanford University. Her interest in elephants goes beyond communication, beginning with her research to mitigate conflicts between farmers and elephants in Namibia where she spent 3 years as a contract researcher for the Namibian Ministry of Environment and Tourism. She was also a Rotary International Vocational Scholar and helped establish elephant conflict mitigation projects in southern India and assessed the feasibility of improving wildlife and ivory trade regulations in China. O'Connell-Rodwell recently co-founded and directs the non-profit organization, Keystone Species International, an organization dedicated to conducting research toward the understanding and conservation of important biological species around the world.