Kathryn Schoenrock-Rossiter (née Schoenrock)
Visiting Professor, School of the Environment
Kate is a Marine Biologist from Half Moon Bay, California, who studies cold water marine communities structured by seaweeds, most recently on the west coast of Ireland. Her research goals are to discover how different eco-physiological, life cycle and genetic characteristics provide for marine communities and potentially make them more resilient.
Kate has worked in many habitats from Greenland to Antarctica, but her work in Ireland focused on the diversity and resilience of kelp ecosystems. Kelp are ecosystem engineers which means they provide structure for marine organisms to live in/on, subsistence for grazers and detritivores, and refuge from predation and the environment. They are found on every continent except for Antarctica (too cold) and are commonly used by different cultures in food, agriculture, and other commodities. Kate also uses a multimedia approach to scientific communication and education, especially scientific illustration which allows the public and students to better understand the subtidal communities she is investigating.