Co-author Network
Map of Science
Co-investigator Network
overview
- Marine ecology, conservation, restoration ecology, coastal management
Positions
- Associate Professor, Biology, College of Arts and Sciences
- Contact Info
Rachel Kelley Gittman
Overview
Affiliation
member of
- Sigma Xi 2018 - 2023
- American Insitute for Biology Sciences 2015 - 2023
- American Shore and Beach Preservation Association 2019
- American Fisheries Society 2017 - 2018
- Divers Alert Network 2012 - 2018
- Southeastern Estuarine Research Society 2017
- Society for Conservation Biology 2016
- Ecological Society of America 2013
- Coastal Estuarine Research Federation 2012
- American Academy of Underwater Sciences 2012
- Phi Beta Kappa 2005
Publications
selected publications
presentations
-
presentation
- Incorporating ecological principles and community needs into coastal restoration and engineering approaches, Department of Environment, Ecology, and Energy, UNC Chapel Hill 2025
- Assessing coastal protection benefits and tradeoffs of engineered oyster reefs using UAS-SFM. , North Carolina Sea Grant federal site review 2025
- Resilient Communities and Economies: Nature-based options for coastal resilience, North Carolina Sea Grant federal site review 2025
- Utilizing UAS-SfM to assess the erosion control properties of a novel breakwater substrate., American Geophysical Union annual meeting 2024
- Perceptions of salt marsh in the residential landscape., North Carolina Coastal Conference 2024
- Biodiversity and habitat complexity as indicators of community assembly following oyster reef restoration. , North Carolina Coastal Conference 2024
- A quarter century of living shoreline research on the North Carolina coast and future directions., Restore America's Estuaries 2024
- Perceptions of salt marsh in the residential landscape. , Restore America's Estuaries 2024
- Nature-based solutions, NC EcoTech Coastal Resilience Visioning Session, University of North Carolina Wilmington 2024
- Wave attenuation performance of constructed oyster breakwaters across varying levels of oyster colonization, Coastal and Estuarine Summit hosted by American Shore and Beach Preservation Society 2024
- Wave transformation across natural and restored oyster reefs., NC Coastal Reserve Research Symposium 2024
- Incorporating ecological principles into coastal restoration and engineering approaches, University of Chicago 2024
- Geesin, M.E., Sirianni, H., Gittman, R.K. 2024. Evaluating the influence of biodegradable oyster breakwaters on local ecosystems and geomorphology. (poster)., NC Coastal Reserve Research Symposium 2024
- Evaluating the influence of oyster breakwaters on local ecosystems and geomorphology., Benthic Ecology Meeting 2024
- Evaluating plant-microbe associations in response to environmental stressors to enhance wetland restoration, East Carolina University Research and Creative Achievement Week 2024
- Predicting outcomes of bivalve-seagrass interactions in shallow estuaries., Benthic Ecology Meeting 2024
- Biodiversity and habitat complexity as indicators of community assembly following oyster reef restoration., Benthic Ecology Meeting 2024
- Assessing the habitat value of novel breakwater substrates for estuarine fauna., Coastal Estuarine Research Federation 2023
- Evaluating the influence of sediment microbial community composition and salinity on smooth cordgrass (Sporabolus alterniflorus), Coastal Estuarine Research Federation 2023
- Predicting outcomes of bivalve-seagrass interactions across an exposure gradient., Coastal Estuarine Research Federation 2023
- Evaluating plant-microbe associations in response to environmental stressors to enhance wetland restoration, Ecological Society of America Annual Meeting 2023
- Coastal Stressor Effects on Sediment and Salt Marsh Cordgrass (Spartina alterniflora) Root-Associated Microbiomes, East Carolina University Research and Creative Achievement Week 2023
- Surface area and depth drive pinfish habitat choice in North Carolina seagrass meadows., Benthic Ecology Meeting 2023
- Evaluating the coastal protection and ecological co-benefits of novel marsh-oyster restoration approaches, University of South Alabama Seminar Series 2023
- Nitrogen and Phosphorus Remediation in Mesocosm Floating Treatment Wetlands receiving Municipal and Aquacultural Wastewater, North Carolina Water Resources Research Institute Conference 2023
- Evaluating socio-ecological functions provided by novel, nature-based coastal protection approaches, Center for Ocean Mapping and Innovative Technologies (COMIT) 2022
- Evaluating the Impacts of Hazard Adaptation Decision-making on Coastal Communities and Ecosystems, Restore America's Estuaries Summit 2022
- Evaluating the coastal protection and ecological co-benefits of novel marsh-oyster restoration approaches, USCRP Webinar 2022
- Nature-based solutions for coasts in a changing climate, Vulnerable Coastlines in an Era of Climate Emergencies 2022
- Assessing faunal community composition in newly restored seagrass beds across an elevation gradient, Benthic Ecology Meeting 2022
- Borrowing ecological principles: Influence of Substrate Orientation on Free-Living and Parasite Diversity, Tidewater AFS 2022
- Gradients in Success: the impact of wave energy and predation on oyster restoration success, Benthic Ecology Meeting 2022
- Assessing faunal community composition in newly restored seagrass beds across an elevation gradient, CERF 2021
- Borrowing ecological principles: Influence of Substrate Orientation on Free-Living and Parasite Diversity, CERF 2021
- How Can Nature-Based Approaches Be Used to Restore Resilience along Developed Coastlines?, CERF 2021
- Quantifying ecological function & resilience of coastal protection approaches, NC ACE 2021
- Attenuation of boat-wake energy and habitat creation using novel living shoreline approach., AERS-SEERS Joint Virtual Meeting 2020
- Borrowing ecological principles:Effect of substrate orientation and complexity on reef formation., AERS-SEERS Joint Virtual Meeting 2020
- Comparing abilities of alternative substrates to halt salt marsh erosion and support oyster reef development., Restore America's Estuaries Coastal and Estuarine Virtual Summit 2020
- Evaluating how foundation species diversity affects the community composition of seagrass meadows., Restore America's Estuaries National Coastal & Estuarine Summit 2020
- Living shorelines: An adaptive management approach to promote climate-resilience?, Restore America's Estuaries Coastal and Estuarine Virtual Summit 2020
- Assessing the resilience of coastal protection to multiple storm events in North Carolina, AERS-SEERS Joint Virtual Meeting 2020
- Resilience of Shoreline Protection Methods to Hurricane Florence, NSF Coasts and People Hurricon 2020
- Bypassing pre-and post-settlement bottlenecks of foundation species across estuarine environmental gradients via mobile substrates, Coastal and Estuarine Research Federation Biennial Conference 2019
- Comparing abilities of alternative substrates to halt salt marsh erosion and support oyster reef development, Coastal and Estuarine Research Federation Biennial Conference 2019
- Evaluating how foundation species diversity affects the community composition of seagrass meadows, Coastal and Estuarine Research Federation Biennial Conference 2019
- Voluntary restoration: mitigation's partner in the quest to outpace coastal wetland loss in the USA, Coastal and Estuarine Research Federation Biennial Conference 2019
- Evaluating shoreline resilience to major storm events, Restore America's Estuaries Living Shoreline Technology Transfer Workshop 2019
- Enhancing resilience through coastal restoration, Coastal Science Symposium 2018
- North Carolina estuaries, Edges of Our Estuaries Workshop 2018
- Incorporating EFH into Fisheries Management: A Case Study of Atlantic Cod in the Gulf of Maine, American Fisheries Society Annual Meeting 2018
- Living shorelines, Coastal Resiliency of Living Shorelines, Congressional Briefing 2018
- Are we engineering away our natural defenses along North Carolina's coast?, Invited, Geography Colloquium 2018
- Preference for hardened shorelines outweighs environmental values and impedes conservation and restoration of coastal habitats., Coastal and Estuarine Research Federation Biennial Conference 2017
- Living shorelines: Are we designing functional, sustainable, and resilient coasts?", Invited Seminar, University of Virginia 2017
Research
principal investigator on
- Co-developing a community and data-driven framework for coastal protection decision making awarded by North Carolina State University (NCSU) 2023 - 2026
- Evaluating impacts of living shorelines on estuarine habitat functions awarded by North Carolina Coastal Federation 2024 - 2026
- Evaluating impacts of living shorelines on estuarine habitat functions: Cedar Island project awarded by North Carolina Coastal Federation 2025 - 2026
- Do living shorelines maintain connectivity and habitat function in intertidal landscapes? awarded by University of North Carolina Chapel Hill (UNCCH) 2024 - 2026
- Evaluating the influence of sediment microbial community composition and salinity on smooth cordgrass (Sporabolus alterniflorus) seedling survival and growth awarded by North Carolina State University (NCSU) 2024 - 2026
- Evaluating the coastal protection and ecological co-benefits of novel marsh-oyster restoration approaches awarded by DOD - U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) 2021 - 2025
- Evaluating ecosystem benefits and tradeoffs of living shoreline materials awarded by North Carolina State University (NCSU) 2022 - 2024
- Oyster Reef Sweet Spots: Evaluating oyster reef restoration locations and configurations for optimizing ecological success and coastal defense performance awarded by North Carolina Policy Collaboratory 2022 - 2023
- Assessing Faunal Community Composition in Newly Restored Seagrass Beds Across a Depth Gradient awarded by North Carolina State University (NCSU) 2021 - 2022
- Testing novel substrates and approaches to improve oyster and salt marsh restoration success awarded by North Carolina State University (NCSU) 2020 - 2022
- Evaluating the current productivity and suitability of North Carolina's designated estuarine nursery areas awarded by NCDENR Division of Marine Fisheries (DMF) 2020 - 2021
- Oyster reef restoration in Back Sound, Rachel Carson Reserve, Beaufort, North Carolina, NFHP awarded by National Fish Habitat Partnership 2018 - 2021
- Phase 2: Oyster reef restoration in Back Sound, Rachel Carson Reserve, Beaufort, North Carolina awarded by University of North Carolina Chapel Hill (UNCCH) 2019 - 2020
- Evaluation of the Resilience of Living Shorelines and Coastal Residents to Hurricane Dorian awarded by Consolidated Safety Services, Inc. (CSS) 2019 - 2020
- RAPID Evaluation of the Resilience of Shoreline Protection Methods to Hurricane Florence awarded by University of North Carolina Wilmington (UNCW) 2019 - 2020
- Quantifying the geomorphic, ecological, and socioeconomic impacts of shoreline management strategies: a multi-disciplinary approach awarded by University of North Carolina Wilmington (UNCW) 2019 - 2020
- Enhancing seagrass bed restoration via inter- and intraspecific facilitation awarded by Southeast Aquatic Resources Partnership (SARP) 2018 - 2020
- Comparing the effectiveness of alternative substrates (Oyster catcher vs. Oyster shell bags) at promoting oyster reef development and preventing saltmarsh erosion (matching funds) awarded by North Carolina Policy Collaboratory 2018 - 2019
- Oyster reef restoration in Back Sound, Rachel Carson Reserve, Beaufort, North Carolina awarded by Southeast Aquatic Resources Partnership (SARP) 2018 - 2019
- Evaluating the ability of bivalve facilitation to enhance seagrass bed restoration awarded by North Carolina Sea Grant 2018 - 2019
- Developing design criteria and novel monitoring approaches for oyster restoration to improve water quality and enhance estuarine habitat value awarded by ECU Natural Resources and the Environment Research Cluster 2018 - 2019
- Comparing the effectiveness of alternative substrates (Oyster catcher vs. Oyster shell bags) at promoting oyster reef development and preventing saltmarsh erosion awarded by North Carolina National Estuarine Research Reserve (NCNERR) 2017 - 2018
- Review of the ecological effects of shoreline hardening awarded by The Pew Charitable Trusts 2015
co-principal investigator on
investigator on
Service
professional service activities
- Special Issue Guest Editor, Estuaries and Coasts Invited, Living Shoreline Special Issue:https://link.springer.com/collections/ehhbdejhfi 2022 - 2024
- Special Issue Guest Editor, Frontiers in Climate Invited, Climate, Ecology, and People Special Issue 2022 - 2024
- Frontiers in Ecology and Environment 1 manuscript review 2024
- GULF RESTORE Council 1 proposal review 2024
- NOAA Technical Review 1 manuscript review for NOAA prior to submission to a journal 2024
- Nature - Scientific Reports 1 manuscript review 2024
- Leadership Team, North Carolina Salt Marsh Steering Committee Invited 2023
- Nature Communications 1 manuscript review 2023
- Pew Charitable Trusts Living Shorelines Expert Consultant Invited to particpate in workshops, meetings, and provide technical reviews 2015 - 2023
- Graduate Women in Science Reviewed proposal for Graduate Women in Science program 2023
- North Carolina Nutrient Criteria Development Plan Scientific Advisory Council Appointed by NC DEQ. 2019 - 2023
- Associate Editor, Frontiers in Ocean Sustainability Invited:https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/ocean-sustainability/editors 2022
- GULF RESTORE Reviewed proposal for GULF RESTORE program 2022
- Washington Sea Grant Reviewed proposal for Washington Sea Grant program 2022
- Associate Editor, Estuaries and Coasts Served as Associate Editor for 13 manuscripts in 2024. 2022
- The Nature Conservancy Consulting for a manuscript 2021 - 2022
- Frontiers in Marine Science 1 manuscript review 2022
- Technical Advisory Committee, Reef Design Innovations for Living Shorelines, San Francisco State University 2020 - 2022
- NSF Two-day proposal panel for NSF 2021
- Journal of Applied Ecology 1 manuscript review 2021
- Ocean and Coastal Management 1 manuscript review 2021
- South Atlantic Salt Marsh Initiative Workshop March 2022 2021
- Member at Large Southeastern Estuarine Research Society 2019 - 2021
- NCHRP IDEA Expert Panel for University of Miami SEAHIVE Project 2018 - 2021
- Coastal Management 1 manuscript review 2021
- Ecosystem Services 1 manuscript review 2021
- MA/WHOI Sea Grant One-day proposal panel for MA/WHOI Sea Grant 2021
- PeerJ 1 manuscript review 2021
- Stone Living Lab Proposal Reviews Reviewed 2 proposals for the Stone Living Lab 2021
- Ecology Letters 1 manuscript review 2020
- Ecosphere 1 manuscript review 2020
- CA COAST SSINP Review Panel Two-day proposal review panel for the CA COAST SSINP program 2020
- North Carolina Coastal Habitat Protection Plan Wetland Technical Working Group 2020
- CA COAST SSINP 2 proposal reviews 2020
- Journal of Ecology 1 manuscript review 2020
- Marine Ecology Progress Series 1 manuscript review 2020
- Oecologia 1 manuscript review 2020
- Vida 1 proposal review 2020
- WIREs Climate Change 1 manuscript review 2020
- AGU Books Reviewed book chapter 2019
- Ecology 1 manuscript review 2019
- Journal of Environmental Management 1 manuscript review 2019
- Nature Sustainability 1 manuscript review 2019
- Conference Co-Organizer NSF CoPe ECU Hurricon 2019
- Restore America's Estuaries Living Shoreline Community of Practice 2016 - 2019
- CERF Syposium Organizer Identifying Restoration Priorities and Evaluating Socio-Ecological Benefits at Multiple Scales 2019
- RAE Living Shoreline Technology Transfer Workshop Planning Committee 2018 - 2019
- Conservation Letters 1 manuscript review 2018
- Washington Sea Grant Proposal reviewed 1 proposal 2018
- National Fish and Wildlife Federation Mid-Atlantic Living Shorelines Panel 2016 - 2018
- North Carolina Division of Coastal Management Living Shoreline Permit Review 2015 - 2018
- APNEP's Soundings Blog "Living Storm Protections: Part I, How Did Hurricane Florence and Tropical Storm Michael Impact Living Shorelines?" 2018
- Albemarle-Pamlico National Estuary Program Living Shoreline Steering Committee 2018
- Edges of Our Estuaries: Challenges and Opportunities for Managing Dynamic Shorelines 2018
- Environmental Science and Policy 1 manuscript review 2018
- Estuarine, Coastal, and Shelf Science Reviewed 1 manuscript 2018
- Limnology & Oceanography 1 manuscript review 2018
- Estuaries and Coasts Completed 2 manuscript reviews. 2017 - 2018
- North Carolina Department of Transportation Nature-Based Solutions Peer Exchange 2017 - 2018
- Climate Central Article, "As Seas Rise, Americans Use Nature to Fight Worsening Erosion", John Upton, Climate Central 2017
- Coastal Review Online Article, "Living shoreline experiment conducted on Carrot Island", North Carolina Coastal Federation 2017
- Environment, Coastal and Offshore Magazine Editorial Focus: Living Shorelines, Interview 2017
- TV Segment, PBS News Hour and Climate Central TV Segment, "Living shorelines' use oyster shells and marsh grass to reverse coastal erosion", PBS News Hour and Climate Central 2017
- Hudson River Foundation Reviewed 2 proposals 2016 - 2017
- National Fish and Wildlife Foundation Reviewed 1 proposal 2016 - 2017
- PLoS ONE Reviewed 2 manuscripts 2016 - 2017
- Coastal Estuarine Research Federation Biennial Conference Judge of student presentations and posters. 2017
- Connecticut SeaGrant Reviewed 1 proposal 2017
- Diversity and Distributions Reviewed 1 manuscript 2017
- Ecological Engineering Reviewed 1 manuscript 2017
- Maryland Sea Grant Reviewed 1 proposal 2017
- Ecosystems Reviewed 2 manuscripts 2016
- NBC MACH Interview, "Walls won't save our cities from rising seas, here's what will" 2016
- Gulf Research Program Capacity Building Grants Review Panel 2016
Background
education and training
- B.S. in Environmental Sciences, University of Virginia
- Ph.D. in Ecology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill