Rate My Professor Kay Critchell

Dr. Kay Critchell is a Senior Lecturer in Oceanography in the School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Science, Engineering and Built Environment at Deakin University. She leads the Biophysical and Spatial Modelling Group at the Deakin Marine Research and Innovation Centre, where her work lies at the interface of physics and biology to understand processes governing the distribution of marine organisms and pollutants, with applications in environmental management and fisheries. Critchell earned her PhD in Environmental Science from James Cook University in 2018 and a Bachelor of Marine Science with Honours from the same institution. Her career includes postdoctoral research at the Marine Spatial Ecology Lab, School of Biological Sciences, University of Queensland, prior to joining Deakin as a Lecturer in 2021.

Critchell's research interests encompass biological oceanography, marine debris and plastics pollution, microplastics impacts on marine life, larval dispersal, population connectivity, and biophysical modelling. Key publications include 'Modelling accumulation of marine plastics in the coastal zone; what are the dominant physical processes?' (Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science, 2016), 'Effects of microplastic exposure on the body condition and behaviour of planktivorous reef fish (Acanthochromis polyacanthus)' (PLOS ONE, 2018), 'Modelling the fate of marine debris along a complex shoreline: Lessons from the Great Barrier Reef' (Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science, 2015), and 'Plastic pollution in the coastal environment: current challenges and future solutions' (Coasts and Estuaries, 2019). She received the Australian Heron Specialist Group Education Award in 2016 as a PhD candidate. Her contributions influence marine protected area planning, kelp forest conservation under climate stressors, and pollution mitigation strategies through predictive spatial models.