I lead the scientific delivery for multiple applied research programs focused on tropical coral and seagrass ecosystems. My 19 years’ of research experience in areas spanning coral, marine plants, photobiology, and spatial analysis and mapping have influenced the management and compliance of large-scale dredging programs. My body of work and expertise also delivers programs to monitor at-risk habitats, including inshore coral reefs.

My passion in recent years has been directed around building meaningful partnerships with Traditional Owners on the Great Barrier Reef and tourism operators to drive localised and scalable outcomes. Projects include the Great Reef Census (a citizen science-based monitoring program), Mars Reef Stars to support rubble stabilisation and repair, and coral larval delivery at local strategic reef locations with partners. These initiatives are rooted in a collaborative framework that spans various sectors, from ports, indigenous rangers, tourism and citizen science. These collaborations complement long-term monitoring efforts and management through more traditional government bodies such as the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority and the Australian Institute of Marine Science. 

My philosophy is to forge strong partnerships across industries using alliances to springboard impactful and scalable research strategies. Through this approach, I am dedicated to advancing the science and management of reef and coastal assets. 

Current Research Projects (see also Current Funding tab)

• GBRF Gunggandji-Mandingalbay Yidinji Healing Country Grant: A collaborative partnership approach to build the skills, knowledge and experiences of GMY Peoples for mapping, monitoring and assessing Sea Country.

• Lead of the coral monitoring program for the North Queensland Bulk Ports/JCU Partnership Program: Monitor and assess inshore coral condition and trend.

• Reef Cooperative: Larval Delivery Project: Capture coral spawn and rear larvae in ocean-based pools to test boosting localised coral cover at important cultural and tourism reef sites in the Cairns region.  The first project to be co-led with First Nations partners, industry and a non-profit organisation, working across adjacent sea countries with First Nations consent.

• Great Reef Census: Drive program scientific principles, integrate research with management agencies, and build capacity with First Nations groups and across industry to garner the greatest number of vessels ever used on the Reef for a science program.

• Cairns – Port Douglas Reef Hub Coordination: Assist with facilitating local reef practitioners, stakeholders and Traditional Custodians to build capacity, communicate and collaborate on reef intervention techniques and how they can integrate with broader Reef Restoration and Adaptation program goals.

• CSIRO-RRAP Collaborative Monitoring Project: Facilitate, develop and deliver a collaborative monitoring project with local partners at Moore Reef around trialled intervention techniques.

• MARS Australia Pty Ltd: Moore Reef pilot study - Experimental design advice, field support & statistical analysis of reef restoration program using MARRS reef stars

• Seagrass monitoring program for the Townsville Channel Upgrade Project

• North Queensland Bulk Ports Corporation – Manta tagging and Tracking in the Abbot Point region

 

Most recent media coverage/interviews/webinars

• Reefshot Documentary (Stan)
• Down to Earth Season II (Netflix)
• Planet Reef(SBS Documentary: Episode 2 Resurrecting the Reef)
• 2021 Dell Podcast with feature interview by President of Asia Pacific & Japan (APJ) and Global Digital Cities and APJ Vice President of PreSales
• 2019 Vogue Australia podcast - The Wardrobe Crisis: Ep 105 Saving the Reef
• Associated Press - Great Barrier Reef Coral Spawning 2022
• Great Barrier Reef survey analysed using AI, citizen science - ABC News 2022
• Citizen science on the Great Barrier Reef - ABC News 2022
• ABC Radio - All female research mission to monitor reef health 2021
• Gateway to understanding manta rays - NQBP Industry partnered research 2023
• GBR Mass spawning feature expert - ABC News 2020
• GBR spawning and larval delivery - Axios 2020
• ABC Radio- Makeshift research fleet surveys Great Barrier Reef 2020
• ABC Radio – Up all night to get lucky: scientists work to help coral spawn 2019
• Coral spawning - ABC News 2019
• Coral spawning project news article 2019

Interests

Professional

• Building capacity to map and monitor Sea Country benthic habitats with Traditional Owners
• Developing coral restoration techniques with Yirrganydji & Gunggandji Traditional Owners
• Guest lecturing for JCU Restoration Ecology & Tropical Marine Ecosystems courses (ongoing since 2011)
• Co-creating & delivering Master's intensive course MB5371 on JCU-NQBP Partnership

Experience

• 2021 to present - Board Member, Reef Restoration Foundation (Cairns)
• 2021 to 2022 - Indigenous Working Group Member, Australian Marine Science Association (Cairns)
• 2019 to 2021 - Steering committee member, Australian Coral Restoration Consortium (Great Barrier Reef)
• 2019 to 2020 - GBR Cluster Group Member, Tourism Tropical North Queensland (Cairns)
• 2009 to 2014 - Dredge Technical Advisory and Consultative Committee Member, Gladstone Ports Corporation Ltd (Gladstone)
• 2008 to 2012 - Fisheries Biologist, Marine Ecology Group, Fisheries Queensland (Cairns, Australia)
• 2006 to 2007 - Research Technician, Florida Bay Fisheries Habitat Assessment Program, University of North Carolina Wilmington (Wilmington, USA)
• 2004 to 2005 - Research Technologist, Center for Neurovirology and Neurodegenerative Disorders, University of Nebraska Medical Center (Omaha, NE USA)
• 2003 to 2004 - Research Intern & Water Quality Officer, ReefHQ, GBRMPA (Townsville, Australia)

Research Disciplines

• Environmental management (4104)

Socio-Economic Objectives

• Marine systems and management (1805)
• Coastal and estuarine systems and management (1802)

Memberships

• 2023 - Australian Coral Reef Society
• 2020 - Great Reef Census Science Committee
• 2019 - Reef Restoration Foundation Board of Directors
• 2015 - International Coral Reef Society
• 2013 - Coastal and Estuarine Research Federation
• 2009 - World Seagrass Association
• 2009 - Australian Marine Science Association - Council Member & 2023 Conference Steering Committee Member

These are the most recent publications associated with this author. To see a detailed profile of all publications stored at JCU, visit ResearchOnline@JCU. Hover over Altmetrics badges to see social impact.

Journal Articles

• Carter A, McKenna S, Rasheed M, Taylor H, van de Wetering C, Chartrand K, Reason C, Collier C, Shepherd L, Mellors J, McKenzie L, Duke N, Roelofs A, Smit N, Groom R, Barrett D, Evans S, Pitcher R, Murphy N, Carlisle M, David M, Lui S, Torres Strait Indigenous Rangers and Coles R (in press) Seagrass spatial data synthesis from north-east Australia, Torres Strait and Gulf of Carpentaria, 1983 to 2022. Limnology and Oceanography Letters,
• Haydon T, Matthews J, Seymour J, Raina J, Seymour J, Chartrand K, Camp E and Suggett D (2023) Metabolomic signatures of corals thriving across extreme reef habitats reveal strategies of heat stress tolerance. Proceedings of the Royal Society of London Series B, Biological Sciences, 290 (1992).
• Alderdice R, Pernice M, Cardenas A, Hughes D, Harrison P, Boulotte N, Chartrand K, Kuehl M, Suggett D and Voolstra C (2022) Hypoxia as a physiological cue and pathological stress for coral larvae. Molecular Ecology, 31 (2). pp. 571-587
• Ceccarelli D, McLeod I, Boström-Einarsson L, Bryan S, Chartrand K, Emslie M, Gibbs M, Gonzalez Rivero M, Hein M, Heyward A, Kenyon T, Lewis B, Newlands M, Mattocks N, Schläppy M, Suggett D and Bay L (2020) Substrate stabilisation and small structures in coral restoration: state of knowledge, and considerations for management and implementation. PLoS ONE, 15 (10).
• Chartrand K, Szabó M, Sinutok S, Rasheed M and Ralph P (2018) Living at the margins - the response of deep-water seagrasses to light and temperature renders them susceptible to acute impacts. Marine Environmental Research, 136. pp. 126 - 138
• Schrameyer V, York P, Chartrand K, Ralph P, Kuhl M, Brodersen K and Rasheed M (2018) Contrasting impacts of light reduction on sediment biogeochemistry in deep- and shallow-water tropical seagrass assemblages (Green Island, Great Barrier Reef). Marine Environmental Research, 136. pp. 38-47
• Wu P, McMahon K, Rasheed M, Kendrick G, York P, Chartrand K, Caley M and Mengersen K (2018) Managing seagrass resilience under cumulative dredging affecting light: predicting risk using dynamic Bayesian networks. Journal of Applied Ecology, 55 (3). pp. 1339-1350
• Wu P, Mengersen K, McMahon K, Kendrick G, Chartrand K, York P, Rasheed M and Caley M (2017) Timing anthropogenic stressors to mitigate their impact on marine ecosystem resilience. Nature Communications, 8.
• Chartrand K, Bryant C, Carter A, Ralph P and Rasheed M (2016) Light thresholds to prevent dredging impacts on the Great Barrier Reef seagrass, Zostera muelleri ssp. capricorni. Frontiers in Marine Science, 3.
• York P, Carter A, Chartrand K, Sankey T, Wells L and Rasheed M (2015) Dynamics of a deep-water seagrass population on the Great Barrier Reef: annual occurrence and response to a major dredging program. Scientific Reports, 5. pp. 1-9
• Macreadie P, Schliep M, Rasheed M, Chartrand K and Ralph P (2014) Molecular indicators of chronic seagrass stress: A new era in the management of seagrass ecosystems? Ecological Indicators, 38. pp. 279-281
• Petrou K, Jimenez-Denness I, Chartrand K, McCormack C, Rasheed M and Ralph P (2013) Seasonal heterogeneity in the photophysiological response to air exposure in two tropical intertidal seagrass species. Marine Ecology Progress Series, 482. pp. 93-106

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ResearchOnline@JCU stores 73+ research outputs authored by Dr Katie Chartrand from 2007 onwards.

Current and recent Research Funding to JCU is shown by funding source and project.

The map shows research collaborations by institution from the past 7 years.
Note: Map points are indicative of the countries or states that institutions are associated with.