Jessica Kolbusz

Dr. Jessica Kolbusz is a Research Fellow at the University of Western Australia (UWA) School of Biological Sciences and a member of the UWA Oceans Institute. Her work focuses on physical and biological oceanography in deep-sea environments, particularly trenches and abyssal plains. She leads projects on hadal zone circulation, sediment dynamics, and ecological connectivity, collaborating with Parks Australia on Western Australian observatories. Her research integrates full-depth CTD measurements, current meters, and oceanographic sensors to understand deep-sea ecosystems.

Education: BEng (Ocean Systems), Master's in Environmental Science (Marine Conservation), PhD (Oceanographic Processes & Western Rock Lobster Settlement).

Research Interests:

• Deep-sea circulation patterns and water-mass movements
• Hadal zone ecology and fauna distribution
• Abyssal sediment variability and substrate impacts
• Climate change implications for trench environments

Awards:

• Society for Underwater Technology’s Postgraduate Award (2019)
• UWA Oceans Institute Robson & Robertson Award (2020)

Grants & Projects:

• Chief Investigator on the Orkney Passage Antarctic Dense Water Export study (2024–2025)
• Contributed to datasets like CTD profiles from hadal trenches

Labs/Teams: Minderoo-UWA Deep-Sea Research Centre, UWA Oceans Institute.