Amandine Schaeffer

Dr. Amandine Schaeffer is a Senior Lecturer at UNSW Sydney's School of Mathematics & Statistics, specializing in physical oceanography, marine heatwaves, and jellyfish trajectory modeling. Her research integrates mathematical tools with observational data to study coastal dynamics, boundary currents, and climate extremes.

• PhD in Physical Oceanography (2010), Mediterranean Institute of Oceanography
• MSc in Physical Oceanography (2006), University of Toulon
• Masters in Marine Engineering (2006), SeaTech, Toulon

Her research focuses on the East Australian Current's influence on marine heatwaves, submesoscale eddies, and bluebottle drift dynamics. By analyzing HF radar data, Lagrangian drifters, and glider observations, she explores how ocean stratification, wind forcing, and boundary current variability shape coastal climate extremes and ecological processes.

The 15 most recent publications reveal trends in marine heatwave drivers, biophysical interactions in boundary currents, and jellyfish transport mechanisms. Key keywords span physical oceanography, climate science, and marine ecology, with sub-fields like eddy dynamics, coastal upwelling, and ocean observing systems.

She supervises PhD students Youstina Elzahaby (marine heatwaves), Daniel Lee (bluebottle drift), and Natacha Bourg (boundary current dispersion). Her teaching includes mathematics and statistics courses for life sciences, as well as specialized marine science topics.

As leader of the BluebottleWatch project, she bridges academic research with public safety initiatives, leveraging UNSW's oceanographic expertise to address coastal hazards through interdisciplinary collaboration.