Kate is an Australian marine mammal ecologist, based at the University of Western Australia at the Albany campus. Kate’s research on marine mammals examines i) the impacts of anthropogenic stressors on individuals, ii) behavioural ecology, iii) predator-prey interactions, iv) responses to large-scale climate drives, and v) behavioural development in offspring. Kate’s research has focused on multiple species, including, southern right whales, humpback whales, pilot whales, bottlenose dolphins and humpback dolphins. Kate has researched marine mammals off Western Australia, South Australia, Queensland, Antarctica and the Canary Islands. Kate undertook her undergraduate at the University of Queensland and the University of California (Santa Barbara), her PhD at Murdoch University and Duke University, and post doctorate at Aarhus University. Kate’s post doctorate was as a European Union Marie Skłodowska-Curie Fellow.

Supervisor for UWA students (Honours in Marine Science, Master of Marine Biology, Master of Environmental Science):

2024-current, Amir

2024-current, Nikas

2024-current, Van Noort

Previous co-supervisor for students at Aarhus University and Murdoch University.

• Marine Mammal Science BIOL3000 (undergraduate)
• Advanced Marine Mammal Science BIOL4400 (Honours, Masters)

Non-standard teaching period: in-between semester 1 and semester 2 (23 June- 18 July 2025), with the fieldtrip in Albany in-person the second week (30th June to 4th July).