Rate My Professor Kaya Klop-Toker

Dr. Kaya Klop-Toker serves as a Post-Doctoral Researcher in the School of Science at the University of Newcastle, Australia. She holds a Doctor of Philosophy in Environmental Science from the University of Newcastle, a Bachelor of Science from the University of Otago, New Zealand, and a Bachelor of Science (Honours) from the University of Adelaide. Earlier in her career, she worked as a lab technician in the Vision Sciences laboratory within the School of Psychology, Faculty of Science and Information Technology at the University of Newcastle from June 2016 to December 2017. Klop-Toker's research centers on the population ecology and adaptive management of threatened amphibians. She quantifies impacts from threats such as habitat change due to human land use, invasive species, and infection by the chytrid fungus Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd), examining how these processes interact and elicit physiological and behavioral responses in frogs. Integrating field-collected data on ecology, demographics, population genetics, and disease with laboratory experiments, she designs and experimentally tests tailored conservation strategies before scaling up implementation. Currently, she leads a 3.5-year project evaluating conservation actions to mitigate mining impacts on Littlejohn’s tree frog and associated stream biota, building on prior work addressing wildfire effects and mining disturbances on this species.

In addition to her research, Klop-Toker has supervised four PhD students—two completed and two ongoing—along with two honours students and numerous undergraduates via placements and summer scholarships. She fosters collaborations across the University of Newcastle, throughout Australia, and internationally, particularly in India and the USA, while maintaining strong partnerships with industry and government agencies. Her scholarly output includes 30 peer-reviewed articles, three book chapters, and four industry reports. Notable publications are 'Uncovering inbreeding, small populations, and strong genetic isolation in an Australian threatened frog, Litoria littlejohni' (Conservation Genetics, 2023), 'Improving breed-and-release programmes in the face of a threatening pathogen, Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis' (Aquatic Conservation: Marine and Freshwater Ecosystems, 2021), 'Community level impacts of invasive mosquitofish may exacerbate the impact to a threatened amphibian' (Austral Ecology, 2018), 'Hydroperiod Influences Tadpole Growth and Development in the Endangered Littlejohn's Tree Frog (Litoria littlejohni)' (Ecology and Evolution, 2025), and 'The Decline of Australian Heath Frogs and Summary of Current Threats' (book chapter, 2022). Klop-Toker has secured nearly $4 million in competitive and industry research funding. She has received the Europa Commission Seal of Excellence for her Horizon MSCA application (2022), the Amphibian Survival Alliance Future Leader in amphibian conservation award (2019), and an Australian Academy of Science fellowship. Her work provides a robust scientific foundation for cost-effective conservation, influencing amphibian management strategies in Australia and beyond.