Megan Huggett

Dr. Megan Huggett is a Senior Lecturer in Marine Science at the University of Newcastle's School of Environmental and Life Sciences. Her research focuses on microbial ecology in marine and coastal ecosystems, particularly the role of microbes in fish health, larval settlement, and responses to environmental stressors like climate change and pollution. She holds a PhD and BSc from the University of New South Wales.

Her work bridges fundamental science and applied solutions, collaborating with government agencies (e.g., NSW Department of Planning, Hunter Water) to address estuarine water quality and contamination issues. Key projects include investigating microplastic impacts, microbial community shifts under warming, and the ecological role of fish gut microbiomes.

Recent studies highlight her focus on climate-driven microbial dysbiosis in fish, the ecological consequences of urchin barrens, and the application of eDNA for biomonitoring. She has secured ~$447k in grants since 2021, supporting projects on seagrass resilience, microbial source tracking, and urban estuary management.

Dr. Huggett emphasizes training future marine scientists, with over 36 journal articles and two conference papers. Her future research aims to develop microbial probiotics for ecosystem resilience and improve understanding of microbial responses to anthropogenic pressures.