Ruth Byrne studied biology at the University of Vienna (1993-2001), where she graduated with a masters thesis on Lateral Asymmetry of Eye Use in Octopus vulgaris. She has participated in projects concerning marine turtles in Turkey (1994 and 1995) and Greece (1998), biomonitoring of oil fields in the Persian Gulf (1999) and communication in social squid on Bonaire (each year since 2000). She obtained her PhD in April 2004.