Katharina is an international leader in coral reef ecology and a global expert on ecosystem responses of coral reefs to ocean acidification. Her published high-impact research stands out through its deep systems understanding and breadth, contributing to 17 topics across 6 topic clusters (>90% worldwide prominence percentiles for 9 of these topics*). She has a H-index of 65, 48% of her outputs are in the 10% citation percentiles*, and 42% are in the top 10% journals percentiles*. Her lifetime field-weighted citation impact is 3.28, with citations from 170 countries.  

Katharina's work has informed policy, regulatory and practical solutions to protect the marine environment, with 88 of her 165 publications cited in 494 policy documents for organisations including the United Nations, OECD, and World Bank. Her research demonstrating the ecological effects of terrestrial runoff on coral reefs was instrumental in the creation of water quality guidelines and investment into water quality improvements for the Great Barrier Reef and internationally. 

* Statistics from SciVal as of 23/04/25