Dr. Kathryn Sobocinski is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Environmental Sciences and the Marine and Coastal Science program at Western Washington University. She is an applied marine ecologist focusing on fishes, fish habitats, and impacts of human disturbance and climate change in coastal ecosystems. She uses statistical, ecological, and individual-based models in conjunction with field data to describe patterns and processes in these ecosystems. Her interests in coastal ecosystems developed from her studies at Connecticut College (BA in 1998), University of Washington (MS in 2003), and Virginia Institute of Marine Science (PhD in 2014).

Her studies have largely focused on juvenile fishes in coastal marine environments and has included food web ecology, identifying characteristics of nursery habitats, fisheries oceanography describing patterns of distribution based on environmental factors, ecosystem modeling related to rising temperatures in shallow-water ecosystems, and socio-environmental systems research.

Currently, Dr. Sobocinski works on several projects within the Salish Sea, including: an investigation of the trophic and water quality impacts of large jellyfish aggregations; ecosystem indicators related to salmon marine survival; and serving as the lead scientist/author for the State of the Salish Sea report coordinated by the Salish Sea Institute at WWU.