Katarina joined the Estuary Partnership in 2025 as a Research Scientist, supporting the Ecosystem Monitoring Program and Action Effectiveness Monitoring Program. She has a background in plant ecology, with experience researching plant population ecology, biological invasions, and plant-insect interactions. Her past work includes assessing impacts of biological control agents on a native host plant in the Oregon Cascades and Coast Range. She has extensive experience with remote sensing and GIS data analysis, including using lidar, multispectral and hyperspectral imagery to classify tree species and health across landscapes. She holds an M.S. in plant ecology and a graduate certificate in GIS from Oregon State University, and a B.A. in biology from Oberlin College.