Kate Mansfield

Kate Mansfield is a Professor of Biology and Davis-Shine Endowed Professor of Conservation Biology at the University of Central Florida, where she directs the Marine Turtle Research Group (MTRG). Her research spans all life stages of sea turtles from nesting ecology to oceanic juvenile dispersal.

Research programs include:

• Long-term monitoring of nesting populations in the Archie Carr National Wildlife Refuge
• Health assessments of juvenile turtles in Indian River Lagoon foraging habitats
• Satellite tracking of oceanic-stage juvenile turtles during their 'lost years'
• International collaborations studying sea turtle dispersal patterns

The MTRG maintains field sites in Florida's Archie Carr National Wildlife Refuge, which supports the largest loggerhead rookery in the Western Hemisphere and significant green turtle nesting. Coastal research examines impacts of harmful algal blooms, disease ecology, and diet composition on juvenile turtle health. Offshore tracking studies in the Gulf of Mexico, Atlantic, and Indian Oceans provide pioneering data on juvenile sea turtle movements and dispersal.

Dr. Mansfield offers summer internships at UCF's coastal field station and maintains scientific partnerships with Brazil's Projecto TAMAR and the Sargasso Sea Commission.