Dr. Pabst is professor of Biology and Marine Biology at UNC Wilmington. She co-directs the Marine Mammal Stranding Program at UNC, which involves students with hands-on experimental learning opportunities. She and her students research the morphological and physiological specializations of the mammalian body to the marine environment.

They investigate marine mammal distribution and abundance in regions of strategic interest for human activities. She and her stranding colleagues across the region investigate these events, gathering data on marine mammal biology and the impacts of human activities, to support wise management and conservation of these protected species.