Rate My Professor Lucy Coyle

Lucy Coyle serves as a PhD candidate and Assistant Research Fellow in the Department of Marine Science at the University of Otago, part of the Sciences Division. She earned a Bachelor of Applied Science (BAppSc) and a Master of Science (MSc) in Science Communication from the University of Otago. Her PhD thesis, titled 'State of kōura (Crayfish, Jasus edwardsii) on the North Otago Coastline,' is supervised by Gaya Gnanalingam, Chris Hepburn, and Bridie Allan. This research examines population dynamics of the commercially and culturally significant rock lobster, including fecundity, size at maturity, and vulnerability to environmental changes along the North Otago coast.

Coyle's academic interests lie in marine ecology, climate change effects on coastal fisheries, and integrating science communication with conservation efforts. Her peer-reviewed publications include 'Changes in fecundity and size at maturity of rock lobster Jasus edwardsii on the east coast of the South Island, New Zealand – A cause for concern in the face of environmental change' (Fisheries Research, 2025, co-authored with Gaya Gnanalingam); 'Spiny rock lobster (Jasus edwardsii) responses to marine heatwave conditions in southern New Zealand' (Marine Environmental Research, 2025, co-authored with Gaya Gnanalingam, Eleanor Kelly, Robert O. Smith, and Bridie Allan); and 'Predicting the impacts of climate change on New Zealand's shallow subtidal reef communities' (New Zealand Journal of Marine and Freshwater Research, 2023, multi-author). In 2023, she received the New Zealand Coastal Society Student Research Scholarship for her PhD project 'A close-up look at a local coastal fisher in a time of climate change.' Coyle has held the Vision Mātauranga Placement Fellowship with the University of Otago and Ngāi Tahu, contributing to projects like Te Tiaki Mahinga Kai and the University of Otago – Ōtākou Whakaihu Waka marine biodiversity restoration initiative in Ngāi Tahu takiwā. She has presented on tools like Esri Story Maps for communicating fishery data.