Karina Lessley (Johnston)
Pronouns: she/her
Education
Master of Applied Sciences, Marine Ecology, and Fisheries Science, James Cook University, Townsville, Australia
BS, Aquatic Biology; Minor, Geological Sciences, UC Santa Barbara
Bio
Karina Johnston has been a passionate scientific and community leader in the Southern California region for many years, with an increasing level of responsibility culminating in her current position with The Bay Foundation (TBF) as Science Director and her position with Loyola Marymount University as Director of Programs for the Coastal Research Institute. Karina leads her department at TBF by developing, managing, and implementing projects to restore ecological function to coastal habitats. She is currently directing multiple projects to research and restore beaches, dunes, and wetlands. Karina has developed and overseen internship and faculty fellowship programs conducted research, and taught Environmental Science to college students. In 2021, Karina won the Part Time Faculty Distinguished Teaching Award from LMU for her teaching and research service. She has extensive experience developing, implementing, and directing scientific programs and projects, including experimental design and research. She aims to continue building her research program through her Ph.D. at the Bren School, in partnership with the Marine Science Institute, conducting research relating to ecological and physical trajectories of beach restoration projects in southern California. She evaluates beach restoration projects for their potential to be nature-based adaptation strategies to help combat climate impacts such as sea level rise. Karina received her B.S. from UCSB and her M.S. from James Cook University. Karina is also a Board Certified Environmental Scientist and is a Certified Ecological Restoration Practitioner. In 2021, she was elected to the Board of Directors for the American Shore and Beach Preservation Association.
Year Admitted
2021
Research Areas
coastal adaptation and policy, beach and dune restoration, coastal wetlands, marine ecology
Faculty Advisors
Steve Gaines and Jenny Dugan
