Kristen Anderson

Kristen came to Australia after completing her BSc in Canada at the University of Calgary majoring in Biological Sciences. Kristen started at James Cook University completing masters course work and then an Honours project in marine biology, studying coral growth rates of branching corals at Lord Howe Island. She completed her PhD in 2016 at the ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies, JCU, studying the spatial and temporal variation of branching coral species on the Great Barrier Reef. Her work involved quantifying contemporary growth rates and looking at how coral calcification and physiology will be impacted in future climate change scenarios.

Her research aims to understand the dynamic relationship of coral growth rates and environmental conditions, specifically aiming to increase our understanding of coral calcificaiton rates for multiple species and growth forms to variation in sea water chemistry and temperature. In doing so, she investigates how coral calcification and physiology will be altered with the sustained and ongoing effects of climate change.