I am a marine biologist whose research explores how environmental variation influences the ecology, evolution, and resilience of coastal marine ecosystems. My work focuses on habitat-forming species such as kelps and corals, which play a critical role in supporting biodiversity and ecosystem function. By integrating molecular tools, ecological fieldwork, biogeography, and remote sensing, I investigate how species and ecosystems respond to environmental change — from local human disturbance to the impacts of climate change — and how these responses shape broader patterns in biodiversity, stability, and ecosystem services.

I completed my PhD at the University of British Columbia, where I studied the evolutionary ecology of kelps (Laminariales) at both global and local scales, before undertaking an NSERC postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Victoria. There, my research focused on the ecological impacts of marine heatwaves and multiple stressors on both kelp forests and coral reef ecosystems. In 2022, I relocated to Western Australia to take up a prestigious Forrest Research Fellowship. In November 2025, I started as a Senior Lecturer in Marine Ecology at Curtin University.

Alongside my research, I am deeply committed to mentorship and inclusive scientific training. I have supervised and co-supervised numerous undergraduate, MSc, and PhD students, and I strive to create supportive, collaborative, and equity-oriented research environments that foster student success and well-being.

SELECTED AWARDS & FUNDING

I have received a career total of approximately $2.2 million AUD in funding ($1,246,088 AUD +$742,817 CAD + $101,875 USD) including grants, fellowships and awards.

2022 – 2025: $433,000 AUD - Forrest Research Fellowship – Forrest Research Foundation

2024: $783,088 AUD - ARC Discovery Grant  – Australian Research Council 

2023: $49,500 USD - Wild Genomes Research Grant – Revive & Restore (Principal Investigator)

2022: $30,000 AUD - FF Research Support – University of Western Australia

2021 – 2023: $120,000 CAD - Mitacs Accelerate Postdoctoral Fellowship ($60,000 per year) – Mitacs 

2019 – 2021: $90,000 CAD - NSERC Postdoctoral Fellowship ($45,000 per year) – Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada

2021: Luigi Provasoli Award for Outstanding Paper – Journal of Phycology

2016 – 2018: $71,000 CAD - Killam Memorial Doctoral Scholarship (Top UBC Scholarship) – University of British Columbia

2016 – 2018: $43,000 CAD - NSERC Postgraduate Scholarship ($21,500 per year) – NSERC

2015 – 2019: $72,800 CAD - UBC Four Year Fellowship ($18,200 per year) – University of British Columbia

2018: Runner-up for Best Talk – Western Society of Naturalists

2018: $1000 USD - Bold Award for Best Talk – Phycological Society of America

PEER REVIEWER ACTIVITIES

Grant reviewer: The National Science Foundation, USA (NSF) Division of Ocean Sciences, Australian Research Council, Canadian Society for Ecology & Evolution (CSEE).

Peer reviewer: PNAS, Ecology Letters, Current Biology, Global Change Biology, Ecological Monographs, Journal of Ecology, Functional Ecology, Restoration Ecology, Biological Conservation, Conservation Biology, Restoration Ecology, Ecography, Methods in Ecology and Evolution, Communications Biology, Coral Reefs, BMC Genomics, Marine Ecology Progress Series, Limnology & Oceanography, Aquatic Coral Reefs, Frontiers in Marine Science, iScience, Scientific Reports, Ecosphere Chinese Journal of Limnology & Oceanography, Journal of the World Aquacutlure Society, Botany, Journal of Phycology, American Journal of Botany, Phycological Research, Marine Environmental Research,  Journal of Experimental Marine Biology & Ecology

POPULAR MEDIA ARTICLES                                                                       

Starko, S. & Baum, J.K. (2025). The world's longest heatwave upended marine life across the Pacific. The Conversation.

Starko, S., Timmer, B., Neufeld, C.J. & Baum, J.K. (2024). Why some of British Columbia’s kelp forests are more threatened than others. The Conversation.

Starko, S. & Baum, J.K. (2023). Coral Reefs : How climate change threatens the hidden diversity of marine ecosystems. The Conversation. *Republished by The Globe & Mail (Canada’s most widely read newspaper).