Dr. Clare Steele is an Assistant Professor of Environmental Science and Resource Management at CSU, Channel Islands. Dr. Steele’s Ph.D. in Natural Resources Science from the University of Rhode Island examined the population dynamics of coral reef fishes in the Bahamas. Her M.Sc. in Tropical Coastal Management from the University of Newcastle-upon-Tyne, UK assessed community-based management of coral reef fisheries resources in the Philippines. Her career in marine ecology and coastal management began at the University of York, UK, with an undergraduate research experience examining tourism impacts on coral reefs in marine protected areas in the Egyptian Red Sea.

Dr. Steele is an applied marine ecologist with extensive experience in marine and coastal environments around the world, conducting research and natural resource assessments to enable informed management decisions. She has conducted research assessing the benefits of protected areas and community-based resource management to reef fish assemblages and artisanal fisheries in the Philippines, Fiji, Kenya and the Bahamas. In southern California, her research has focused on productivity of fishes on natural kelp and artificial reefs, and assessing anthropogenic impacts to sandy beach ecological communities.

Dr. Steele’s current research focuses on the impact of human activities on marine and coastal natural resources. Her ongoing research in the California Channel Islands and Southern California coast examines the ecological impacts of ocean litter and microplastic debris on coastal ecosystems. Dedicated to providing research opportunities to undergraduate students, she provides educational and research experiences in the California coastal zone and at CSUCI’s undergraduate research station on Santa Rosa Island.