Courtney Stuart
Hello, I'm Courtney! I joined the University of Oxford in 2022 as a DPhil student funded by the UKRI Oxford-NERC Doctoral Training Partnership (DTP).
I'm a marine spatial ecologist passionate about understanding structural and functional connectivity in heterogeneous nearshore seascapes. In my research, I use connectivity along with the other 4Cs of seascape ecology—context, configuration, consideration of scale, and culture—to deepen our understanding of marine pattern-process relationships. My DPhil aims to improve our understanding of connectivity in French Polynesia’s Tetiaroa atoll by combining conventional seascape ecology and marine community ecology theories with innovative field, laboratory, and GIS-based approaches. By mapping and modelling connectivity and pattern-process links, my goal is to provide insights that support adaptive management planning and long-term ecosystem resilience. You can learn more about my research interests by exploring my publications and outreach materials below.
Before joining the Oxford Seascape Ecology Lab, I earned an MSc in Ecology from the University of Alberta, where I was advised by Dr Stephanie Green. For my MSc, I constructed species- and life-stage-specific spatial models of habitat suitability and functional connectivity for reef fishes in the Florida Keys, USA. I hold a BSc in Marine Vertebrate Biology from the School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences at Stony Brook University, where I researched the spatial ecology of tiger sharks, fishes, kelps, and seagrasses. My field experience to date includes work in French Polynesia, the Gulf of Maine, Long Island Sound, and the Peruvian Amazon Basin.
When I'm not working, you can find me swimming, kayaking, camping, or tide-pooling!
Selected publications
Wedding, L.M, Stuart, C.E., Govers, L.L., Lilley, R.J., Olds, A., Preston, J. & Pittman, S. J. Five ways seascape ecology can help to achieve marine restoration goals. Landscape Ecology (In Review).
Peterson, E. A., Stuart, C. E., Pittman, S. J., Benkwitt, C. E., Graham, N. A., Malhi, Y., ... & Wedding, L. M. (2024). Graph-theoretic modeling reveals connectivity hotspots for herbivorous reef fishes in a restored tropical island system. Landscape Ecology, 39(8), 145. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10980-024-01936-7
Stuart, C. E., Wedding, L. M., Pittman, S. J., Serafy, J. E., Moura, A., Bruckner, A. W., & Green, S. J. (2023). Seascape connectivity modeling predicts hotspots of fish-derived nutrient provisioning to restored coral reefs. Marine Ecology Progress Series. https://doi.org/10.3354/meps14321
Christmann, T., Gopalakrishna, T., Stuart, C., & Amaral, V. (2023). Young voices and visions for the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration. Restoration Ecology, 31(3), e13871. https://doi.org/doi: 10.1111/rec.13871
Stuart, C. E., Wedding, L. M., Pittman, S. J., & Green, S. J. (2021). Habitat suitability modeling to inform seascape connectivity conservation and management. Diversity, 13(10), 465. https://doi.org/10.3390/d13100465
Follow Courtney on Twitter: @c_stuart9