Office: 114 Marine Centre Wales

Google Scholar | Twitter: @KatieDu_Ecology

I am a functional ecologist, broadly interested in mechanisms underpinning the relationship between biodiversity, ecosystem function, and the provision of ecosystem services. I completed a Ph.D. in 2021 through the University of California, Davis and the Bodega Marine Laboratory. My doctoral research focused on linking patterns of phenotypic and genotypic diversity within seagrass (Zostera marina) populations to seagrass meadow resilience to ocean warming. I then completed a three-year postdoctoral fellowship at Bowdoin College and the Schiller Coastal Studies Center, through which I led studies on seagrass and rocky intertidal communities that integrated data on population genomics, macrophyte physiology, and invertebrate community dynamics. More recently, I have partnered with aquaculture organizations to investigate bivalve-macrophyte interactions and work towards understanding potential benefits of multi-trophic aquaculture practices in the context of ocean warming and acidification.

My research interests continue to focus on the following themes: macrophyte physiology, benthic community ecology, population genomics, ecological-evolutionary feedbacks, and global change biology. At Bangor, I am excited to be part of the ECW+ initiative on connecting “Land, Sea, and People” aimed at fostering new collaborations between the School of Ocean Sciences and UK Centre for Ecology and Hydrology.