Dr Kaline de Mello is a postdoctoral researcher at Charles Darwin University (CDU), affiliated with the Research Institute for the Environment and Livelihoods (RIEL). She is a biologist with a PhD in Biosystems Engineering from the University of São Paulo (Brazil) and the University of Massachusetts (USA). Kaline has held postdoctoral positions at the University of São Paulo, the University of Queensland, and the Federal University of São Carlos (Brazil). Her research focuses on wetland mapping and condition assessment, land cover change, and the ecological impacts of water extraction on wetlands in tropical northern Australia, aiming to support evidence-based decision-making. She has experience in remote sensing, ecological assessments, and fieldwork in collaboration with Indigenous ranger groups and government agencies. Kaline currently supervises PhD and master's students working on wetland monitoring and management and welcomes expressions of interest from those interested in applied, interdisciplinary research on freshwater ecosystems, land use change, and conservation.
Research Interests:
- Wetland ecology and condition assessment
- Land use and land cover change
- Remote sensing and geospatial analysis
- Hydrological connectivity and water resource management
- Impacts of water extraction on freshwater ecosystems
- Ecosystem services and landscape ecology
- Conservation planning and environmental policy
- Community-based research
- Indigenous knowledge integration