Group Lead

Dr Caitie Kuempel

Senior Lecturer

Education

PhD Conservation Science, University of Queensland
MSc Marine Ecology, Northeastern University
B.S. Environmental Science, University of Iowa
B.A. French, University of Iowa

Biography

Dr Kuempel is a conservation scientist interested in sustainable seafood, land-sea interactions, and conservation planning. She is passionate about finding ways to meet the needs of the growing human population while minimising impacts on the environment, particularly in the world’s oceans.

Research Staff

Alexandra White

Research Assistant

Education

BSc Wildlife Biology, Griffith University

Biography

Alexandra is passionate about translating research insights into meaningful narratives that highlight real-world applications. She is currently supporting a wide range of projects in the lab related to sustainable development and conservation.

Students

Marina Christofidis

PhD Candidate

Education

MSc Environmental Engineering, Federal University of Santa Catarina, Florianopolis, Brazil
BSc Biological Sciences, University of Brasilia, Brazil

Biography

Marina has been a Federal Employee in Brazil since 2008 as a Water Infrastructure Analyst where she focused on managing the many uses of Coastal Common areas both in land and water by multiple stakeholders. For her PhD thesis, she is exploring climate change impacts on aquaculture in Australia.

Simon Metcher

PhD Student

Education

BSc (Hons) Environmental Science, Microbiology, Wildlife Biology, Griffith University

Biography

Simon's research is focused on marine conservation and ecosystem modeling, using geospatial data science to assess aquaculture impacts and inform sustainable practices.

Ainsley Leaning

PhD Student

Education

MSc (Hons) Marine Science, Griffith University
B.S. (Distinction) Marine Science, Griffith University

Biography

Ainsley is a PhD student with the Blue Economy Cooperative Research Centre. Her project aims to develop methods that harness the power of hydroacoustic instruments (echosounders) to provide better ecological information for use in marine spatial planning (MSP).

Alex Peska

PhD Student

Education

BSc Environmental Science and Policy, University of Maryland, USA

Biography

Alex is a developing marine socioecologist and PhD candidate with the Sustainable Seas Group. In his research, Alex will engage with coastal Indigenous communities to understand how people form relationships with nature and how we can leverage these relationships for greater equitability and enhanced environmental stewardship. Taking an interdisciplinary approach encompassing decision support systems, innovative governance, community development, and spatial analysis, Alex hopes to support co-beneficial conservation which not only strengthens nature, but also people's relationships with it.

Alumni

Dr Jackson Stockbridge

Post-doctoral Fellow

Education

PhD Environmental Science, University of Adelaide
BSc Science (Hons) Marine and Evolutionary Biology

Biography

Jackson was a post-doctoral research on the Blue Economy Cooperative Research Centre Marine Spatial Planning project, focusing on cumulative impacts of offshore wind. He is currently a post-doctoral researcher at Griffith University looking at water quality and food systems impacts.

Maddie Davey

PhD Candidate

Education

B.A. (Hons) Political Science and Government, Geosciences, Marine Science

Biography

Maddie is a marine conservation scientist passionate about achieving best practice in marine spatial planning outcomes. Her PhD thesis is based on the University of Queensland focusing on improving metrics and data in marine spatial planning, particularly on coral reefs. She also is a spatial analyst and consultant for the Centre for Conservation Geography.

Jade Arnold

Masters Student

Education

MSc (Hons) Marine Conservation, Griffith University
BAdvSc Marine Biology, James Cook University

Biography

Jade completed her Masters degree in 2024 looking at human impacts within and conservation effectiveness of Australia's marine protected area network. She is currently an Aquarist specialising in invertebrates and education.

Emma Arnett

Masters student

Education

MSc Environmental Management, University of Queensland
BS Marine Biology, University of Queensland

Biography

Emma completed her masters degree in 2021 on the environmental efficiency of seafood trade globally. She now works at the Queensland Department of Environment, Tourism, Science, and Innovation.

Alana McPherson

Honours

Education

B.S. (Hons) Environmental Science, Griffith University

Biography

Alana completed her Honours degree in 2023 looking at the effectiveness of Australia's marine protected area network through time. She currently works as a Health Technician at Clean Seas Sustainbale Seafood in South Australia.

Wellbeing Ambassador

Ziggy Smith

Bestest boy

Education

MSc (Hons) Human manipulation for pats and treats, Dachshund University
B.A. Barking

Biography

Ziggy first joined the group in 2023 as a foster dog and quickly became the lab's beloved support animal, frequently joining video calls and providing ample distractions.