Dr. Kathy Townsend is an academic marine biologist at the

University of Queensland , mottoeng = By means of knowledge and hard work , established = , endowment = A$224.3 million , budget = A$2.1 billion , type = Public research university , chancellor = Peter Varghese , vice_chancellor = Deborah Terry , city = B ...

(UQ), Australia.

Early life

Kathy Townsend was born in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. She enrolled in the

University of Calgary The University of Calgary (U of C or UCalgary) is a public research university located in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. The University of Calgary started in 1944 as the Calgary branch of the University of Alberta, founded in 1908, prior to being ins ...

in 1990, before moving to Australia in 1991 to pursue marine biology studies at the

. She credits the Jacques Cousteau documentaries as the inspiration for her passion for marine biology.

Career

Townsend obtained her BSc and PhD, both in marine biology, from UQ. She is best known for her work on manta rays, the ecology of

coral reef A coral reef is an underwater ecosystem characterized by reef-building corals. Reefs are formed of colonies of coral polyps held together by calcium carbonate. Most coral reefs are built from stony corals, whose polyps cluster in groups. C ...

s, and the impact of ingested marine rubbish on

sea turtle Sea turtles (superfamily Chelonioidea), sometimes called marine turtles, are reptiles of the order Testudines and of the suborder Cryptodira. The seven existing species of sea turtles are the flatback, green, hawksbill, leatherback, loggerhe ...

s, with particular reference to

Queensland ) , nickname = Sunshine State , image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , establishe ...

marine environment Marine habitats are habitats that support marine life. Marine life depends in some way on the saltwater that is in the sea (the term ''marine'' comes from the Latin ''mare'', meaning sea or ocean). A habitat is an ecological or environmental ...

s and organisms. She also works with the

Earthwatch Institute Earthwatch Institute is an international environmental charity. Founded as Educational Expeditions International in 1971 by Bob Citron and Clarence Truesdale, Earthwatch supports hundreds of Ph.D. researchers across dozens of countries, conduct ...

. Townsend assisted in the production of, and appeared in, David Attenborough's series ''

Great Barrier Reef The Great Barrier Reef is the world's largest coral reef system composed of over 2,900 individual reefs and 900 islands stretching for over over an area of approximately . The reef is located in the Coral Sea, off the coast of Queensland, ...

''.

Awards

Townsend's awards include: * * * * *

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Townsend, Karen Australian marine biologists University of Queensland alumni Academic staff of the University of Queensland Living people Year of birth missing (living people)