Catherine Collier

Dr Collier is a marine ecologist specialising in environmental risk and resilience in marine and coastal ecosystems. Her research provides ecological information to support conservation, management and climate adaptation across northern Australia.

Her work combines habitat mapping, long-term monitoring, environmental modelling and experimental approaches to understand ecological condition, environmental pressures and ecosystem resilience. She contributes to long-term monitoring of inshore Great Barrier Reef seagrass habitats through the Paddock to Reef Integrated Monitoring, Modelling and Reporting Program, alongside broader research across northern Australia. Her research also develops efficient monitoring and reporting approaches using contemporary technologies, including drones and remote sensing, to improve the accessibility, scale and effectiveness of monitoring.

A major focus of Dr Collier’s research is understanding what enables marine ecosystems to persist and recover under environmental pressures and extreme events. Her research on seagrass resilience has contributed to resilience indicators and environmental thresholds for water quality, light and temperature. More recently, she has investigated thermal risk to intertidal marine habitats using in situ monitoring and modelling, and is contributing to the development of habitat fragmentation indicators and broader approaches to ecological risk and resilience.

Collaboration and research translation are central to her work. She works with Traditional Owners, researchers, environmental managers and government to connect ecological research with management needs and decision-making. Her research is increasingly extending from marine habitat assessment to integrated biodiversity and larger-scale approaches to environmental risk and resilience.

Dr Collier works extensively with Traditional Owners and Indigenous Ranger groups across northern Australia to co-develop locally relevant and scientifically robust approaches to habitat mapping and monitoring. This includes developing a monitoring toolkit, training and tools that increase Ranger capacity to undertake independent and consistent monitoring of Sea Country.

Dr Collier welcomes enquiries from prospective Honours, Masters and PhD students interested in marine ecology, environmental change, ecological resilience, habitat monitoring and spatial approaches to marine conservation.