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.