Projects per year
Personal profile
Biography
Dr Katherine Dafforn is an environmental scientist recognised for her contributions to understanding and managing urban impacts in marine systems. She completed her PhD in 2010 and was formerly the Co-Director of the Applied Marine and Estuarine Ecology Lab at the University of New South Wales. She joined Macquarie University in 2018 and is the current Deputy Director of the Sydney Harbour Research Program at the Sydney Institute of Marine Science.
Katherine has developed sensitive monitoring tools that can be applied over large spatial scales and in a range of systems to measure aquatic health. She has also been engaged in the ecological design of marine foreshores and her experimental work has contributed to several urban renewal projects. The findings have provided policy tools for building foreshore infrastructure more sustainably.
Katherine is also enthusiastic about science communication. She has published in media outlets such as The Conversation and is an avid tweeter. She recently received a Young Tall Poppy Science Award for science excellence and community engagement.
External positions
Adjunct Senior Lecturer, The University of New South Wales
3 Apr 2018 → 3 Apr 2021
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Collaborations and top research areas from the last five years
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Living Boulders for reviving marine life on coastal defences
Bishop, M., Dafforn, K., Mayer-Pinto, M., Goad, A., Joyce, S., Doureihi, A., Stone, L., Panada, J., Glasby, T., Liddell, B. & Parker, L.
9/10/24 → 31/08/27
Project: Research
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Didemnum vexillum research and development for improved management
Dafforn, K., Sherman, C., Schaefer, N., Davidson, I. & Fletcher, L.
6/06/24 → 30/09/26
Project: Research
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UNSW Led: Do root microbiomes control seagrass response to environmental stress?
Gribben, P., Marzinelli, E., Kjelleberg, S., Waycott, M. & Dafforn, K.
25/04/24 → 24/04/27
Project: Research
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Living Seawalls in Boston Harbour
Dafforn, K., Bishop, M., Mayer-Pinto, M., Goad, A., Byrnes, J. & Chen, B.
1/06/23 → 31/05/27
Project: Research
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Research Outputs
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Ecological effects of habitat complexity vary with intertidal elevation: implications for seawall eco-engineering
Vozzo, M. L., Bishop, M. J., Dafforn, K. A. & Mayer-Pinto, M., 28 May 2025, (E-pub ahead of print) In: Journal of Applied Ecology. 18 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open Access -
Major global ports alter light regimes for marine biofouling communities
Schaefer, N., Bishop, M. J., Herbert, B., Hoey, A. S., Mayer-Pinto, M., Sherman, C. D. H., Foster-Thorpe, C., Vozzo, M. L. & Dafforn, K. A., Feb 2025, In: Journal of Environmental Management. 374, p. 1-8 8 p., 124119.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open AccessFile10 Downloads (Pure) -
Shining the light on marine infrastructure: the use of artificial light to manipulate benthic marine communities
Schaefer, N., Hoey, A. S., Bishop, M. J., Bugnot, A. B., Herbert, B., Mayer-Pinto, M., Sherman, C. D. H., Foster-Thorpe, C., Vozzo, M. L. & Dafforn, K. A., Feb 2025, In: Journal of Applied Ecology. 62, 2, p. 220-230 11 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
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Stakeholders support marine eco-engineering, but what are the perceived benefits and who should pay?
Dodds, K. C., Vozzo, M. L., Mayer-Pinto, M., Dafforn, K. A. & Bishop, M. J., Mar 2025, In: People and Nature. 7, 3, p. 653-667 15 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open AccessFile1 Downloads (Pure) -
Thermal patterns on eco-engineered coastal infrastructure depend on topographic complexity and spatial scale
Bauer, F., Knights, A. M., Hanley, M. E., Griffin, J. N., Foggo, A., Brown, A., Bishop, M. J., Dafforn, K. A., Mayer-Pinto, M. & Firth, L. B., May 2025, In: Ecological Engineering. 215, p. 1-12 12 p., 107596.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open AccessFile2 Citations (Scopus)3 Downloads (Pure)
Datasets
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Data from: Spatial variation in the biotic and abiotic filters of oyster recruitment: Implications for restoration
Esquivel-Muelbert, J. R. (Contributor), Lanham, B. (Contributor), Martinez-Baena, F. (Contributor), Dafforn, K. (Contributor), Gribben, P. (Contributor) & Bishop, M. (Contributor), Macquarie University, 10 Jun 2022
Dataset
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Belowground ecosystem engineers enhance biodiversity and function in a polluted ecosystem
Bugnot, A. (Contributor), Gribben, P. (Contributor), O'Connor, W. (Contributor), Erickson, K. (Contributor), Coleman, R. (Contributor) & Dafforn, K. (Contributor), Macquarie University, 11 Jun 2022
Dataset
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Data from: A novel real-world ecotoxicological dataset of pelagic microbial community responses to wastewater
Ruprecht, J. (Contributor), Glamore, W. (Contributor), Dafforn, K. (Contributor), Wemheuer, F. (Contributor), Crane, S. (Contributor), van Dorst, J. (Contributor), Johnston, E. (Contributor), Mitrovic, S. (Contributor), Turner, I. (Contributor), Ferrari, B. (Contributor) & Birrer, S. (Contributor), Macquarie University, 11 Jun 2022
Dataset
Prizes
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Activities
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SETAC Europe 30th Annual Meeting (Open Science for Enhanced Global Environmental Protection)
Amy MacIntosh (Participant), Katherine Dafforn (Participant), Anthony Chariton (Participant), Beth Penrose (Participant) & Tom Cresswell (Participant)
3 May 2020 → 7 May 2020Activity: Participating in or organising an event › Participating in a conference, workshop or event series
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Australian Marine Science Association (AMSA) Annual Conference
Katherine Dafforn (Member of programme committee)
14 Mar 2019 → 10 Jul 2020Activity: Participating in or organising an event › Organising a conference, workshop or event series
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Australian Marine Science Association New South Wales (AMSA NSW) (External organisation)
Katherine Dafforn (Chair)
20 Nov 2018 → …Activity: Membership › Membership of committee
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PLoS ONE (Journal)
Katherine Dafforn (Editor)
3 Sept 2018 → …Activity: Peer-review and editorial of research outputs › Editorial work
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Frontiers in Marine Science (Journal)
Katherine Dafforn (Editor)
1 Feb 2018 → …Activity: Peer-review and editorial of research outputs › Editorial work