Rate My Professor Katja Schweikert

Dr. Katja Schweikert serves as a Lecturer in the Department of Botany at the University of Otago, within the Sciences Division. Her academic role encompasses teaching and research in biological sciences, with a particular emphasis on marine eco-physiology. She contributes significantly to the Ecology Degree Programme, acting as course coordinator for ECOL211 and ECOL313. Schweikert's research investigates the physiological mechanisms enabling marine macroalgae and other organisms to cope with environmental stressors such as UV-B radiation, oxidative damage, and pollutants. Her work explores polyamine metabolism in species like Pyropia cinnamomea and its protective roles against abiotic stresses. Additionally, she has examined the impacts of organophosphate insecticides on green-lipped mussels and contributed to studies on the depletion of inshore fisheries and their socio-cultural implications for Māori communities.

Schweikert's scholarly output includes key publications such as 'Polyamines in macroalgae: advances and future perspectives' published in the Journal of Phycology in 2015, 'Regulation of polyamine metabolism in Pyropia cinnamomea (W.A. Nelson), an important mechanism for reducing UV-B-induced oxidative damage' in Plant Physiology and Biochemistry in 2014, 'The organophosphate insecticide Coumaphos induces oxidative damage in green-lipped mussels Perna canaliculus' in Aquatic Toxicology in 2012, 'Local people see and care most? Severe depletion of inshore fisheries and its consequences for Māori communities in New Zealand' in Aquatic Conservation: Marine and Freshwater Ecosystems in 2014, and 'A Marine Cultural Health Index for the sustainable management of mahinga kai in Aotearoa – New Zealand' in 2012. These contributions have amassed 273 citations, reflecting an h-index of 8 and an i10-index of 7, underscoring her influence in algal stress physiology, marine ecology, and sustainable management. In 2009, she was awarded a Te Tipu Putaiao Fellowship for a study on cockles. Schweikert also supervises postgraduate students, serves as the Botany liaison for Pacific Island students, and engages in departmental activities including seaweed extraction demonstrations and outreach events.