Dr Katrina West

Katrina is an early-career researcher interested in environmental DNA (eDNA), genomics, ecology and evolution. She has recently completed her PhD at Curtin University, Western Australia where she focused on the development and application of eDNA metabarcoding for aquatic biomonitoring in Australia’s Indian Ocean region. She has previously used ancient DNA techniques to track prehistoric Polynesian migration across the Pacific islands and examined hybridization and introgression in Australian freshwater crayfish. Katrina’s research promotes the use of genetic tools to study biodiversity at a time when climate and anthropogenic influences necessitate careful management and monitoring of biota. Her CERC postdoctoral fellowship at CSIRO aims to extend eDNA metabarcoding capabilities and applications for Australian marine fish and elasmobranch monitoring.

Google Scholar: https://scholar.google.com.au/citations?user=wzghz3YAAAAJ&hl=en