Deborah Burn
Postdoctoral fellow
Deborah’s research focuses on the spatial and temporal dynamics of coral assemblage structure and demography, particularly in response to disturbances. She is especially interested in the differential effects of disturbances on corals across different levels of biological organisation (from individual colonies to whole communities), and the demographic mechanisms that drive or limit recovery.
Under the RRAP research program, Deborah uses multi-year photogrammetric monitoring data and demographic modelling to assess differential susceptibility to bleaching, and to quantify rates of coral recruitment, growth, and mortality across space and taxa. This work helps identify where, for which taxa, and through which demographic process (recruitment, growth, survival), recovery is most constrained, providing critical insights to guide targeted restoration efforts.
