Rebecca’s research focuses on harnessing nature to help protect coastlines from erosion, storms, and rising sea levels while restoring the ecosystems that support healthy oceans. Rather than relying solely on concrete seawalls or rock structures, she develops and evaluates “living shorelines” that use habitats such as oyster and coral reefs, coastal vegetation, dunes, and beaches as natural coastal defences. These ecosystems can absorb wave energy and reduce erosion, while improving water quality, supporting fisheries, storing carbon, providing habitat for marine life, and delivering important social and cultural benefits to coastal communities.
Her work brings together ecology, engineering, and social science to understand how nature-based solutions function in the real world and how they can be designed to maximise both coastal protection and environmental benefits. Through interdisciplinary research and collaboration with governments, industry, and communities, she and her collaborators develop the evidence, guidelines, and practical tools needed to plan, implement, and evaluate coastal restoration.
Ultimately, her goal is to provide science-based solutions that help communities adapt to climate change by creating coastlines that are more resilient, support biodiversity, and deliver lasting environmental, social, and economic benefits.