Dr Mallela’s research examines how coral reefs respond to both natural and anthropogenic environmental disturbances, looking at ecological resilience, biodiversity, coral recruitment, marine calcification and erosion, and their impacts upon resource management. Jennie earned her PhD by studying river runoff and reef development to develop a carbonate budget for Jamaican reefs, then explored how climate change will affect this budget as a Research Fellow at the University of the West Indies, Trinidad.

Jennie currently holds an ARC-DECRA Fellowship at the Australian University and is researching the past, present and future impacts of land-based runoff upon the Great Barrier Reef.