Dr. Kathryn Beheshti

Dr. Kathryn (Kat) Beheshti is a marine ecologist studying loss and recovery dynamics of coastal foundation species (salt marshes, kelp forests, seagrasses) and how these dynamics inform how we manage the ecosystems they support. Commitment to working closely with stakeholders throughout the scientific process and prioritizing science communication has increased the relevancy and impact of her research.

Kat earned her B.S. in Earth and Environmental Science from the University of California, Irvine in 2012, M.S. in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology from the University of California, Santa Cruz in 2019, and her Ph.D. in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology from the University of California, Santa Cruz in 2021. After receiving her Ph.D. she served as a California Sea Grant State Fellow for the California Ocean Protection Council’s Climate Change Program. Currently, she is an Assistant Researcher in the Marine Science Institute at the University of California, Santa Barbara where she works as Co-Principal Investigator on the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station (SONGS) Mitigation Monitoring Program, a long-term monitoring program that evaluates the performance of two mitigation projects (a kelp afforestation via the construction of an artificial reef and a wetland restoration/enhancement) and whether the short- and long-term goals of the projects are met.