Dr. de Mutsert is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Environmental Science and Policy at George Mason University, and Associate Director of Research at the Potomac Environmental Research and Education Center. Her research is focused on tidal freshwater, coastal and estuarine fish ecology. She studies the effects of environmental and anthropogenic stressors on nekton abundance, community structure, and foodweb dynamics. Examples of stressors included in her studies are eutrophication, oil pollution, habitat alteration, hypoxia, fisheries, and changes in freshwater discharge. She uses a combination of field monitoring, community analysis, stable isotope analysis, and ecosystem modeling in her projects. She is a recipient of an early-career research fellowship from the National Academy of Sciences Gulf Research Program.
Current Projects
2017-2021 NOAA Restore Act Science Program. Ecosystem modeling to improve fisheries management in the Gulf of Mexico. D. Chagaris (lead PI), S. Sagarese, M. Lauretta, R. Ahrens, and K. de Mutsert. $851,838.
2016-2021 NOAA National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science. NGOMEX 2016: User-driven tools to predict and assess effects of reduced nutrients and hypoxia on living resources in the Gulf of Mexico. K. de Mutsert (lead PI), K.A. Lewis, M.C. Campbell, S. Brandt, and C. Sellinger. $900,000.
Ongoing since 1984 Fairfax County, VA. An Ecological Study of Gunston Cove 2019/2020. R.C. Jones (lead PI), K. de Mutsert and A. Fowler. approximately $85,000 annually.
Ongoing since 2013 Alexandria Renew Enterprises. Ecological Study of Hunting Creek. R.C. Jones (lead PI), K. de Mutsert, B. Van Aken, A. Fowler, and R.A. McBride. approximately $220,000 annually.
