Associate Professor
Kate Helmstedt
Faculty of Science,
School of Mathematical Sciences
Biography
A/Prof Kate Helmstedt's research is focused on developing mathematical and data science methods to help understand and protect ecosystems and species. Her work draws upon expertise in operations research, decision science, mathematical modelling, and mathematical ecology. She leads the QUT Applied Mathematical Ecology Group (AMEG), a group of around 30 academics, postdocs, and students using mathematics and data science to tackle questions about ecological systems.A/Prof Helmstedt leads question-driven research that is aimed at solving real, urgent ecological management problems. She works on threatened ecosystems including Antarctica, Great Barrier Reef, and areas where biodiversity is under threat from agriculture and land clearing.
She has expertise across research, leadership, and innovative teaching. She is a passionate advocate for women in STEM and diversity, equity, and inclusion in mathematics.
Prospective Honours, MPhil, and PhD students who are interested in applying mathematical modelling, operations research, or data science to ecosystem protection questions are encouraged to contact A/Prof Helmstedt -- especially those from groups traditionally underrepresented in mathematics. There are opportunities for competitive funding for domestic and international students through university schemes and targetted project funding.
Personal details
Positions
- Associate Professor in Operations Research
Faculty of Science,
School of Mathematical Sciences
Keywords
decision science, operations research, biodiversity conservation, threatened species, invasive species, ecosystem modelling, environmental management, ecological modelling, Great Barrier Reef, Antarctica
Research field
Applied Mathematics, Environmental Science and Management, Ecological Applications
Field of Research code, Australian and New Zealand Standard Research Classification (ANZSRC), 2008
Qualifications
- PhD (University of Queensland)
- Bachelor of Science with Honours Class Honours Class 1 (University of Queensland)
- Bachelor of Science (University of Queensland)
Teaching
A/Prof Helmstedt teaches into the Bachelor of Mathematics in operations research and simulation modelling and the Bachelor of Data Science. She teaches a university-wide elective in Visualising Data (MXB262), as well as second and third year mathematics units in operations research (MXB232, MXB334) and simulation modelling (MXB261).
Experience
Dr Helmstedt collaborates with diverse groups of scientists including mathematicians, statisticians, economists, ecologists, biologists, agricultural and marine scientists. These collaborative networks span Australia and internationally across the US, Europe, and the UK.
She works with end-users and stakeholders from the Australian Antarctic Division, Office of the Great Barrier Reef, Qld Department of Environment and Science, CSIRO, Sustainable Winegrowing Australia, and Australian Institute for Marine Science.
Publications
- Mayfield, H., Eberhard, R., Baker, C., Baresi, U., Bode, M., Coggan, A., Dean, A., Deane, F., Hamman, E., Jarvis, D., Loechel, B., Taylor, B., Stevens, L., Vella, K. & Helmstedt, K. (2023). Designing an expert-led Bayesian network to understand interactions between policy instruments for adoption of eco-friendly farming practices. Environmental Science and Policy, 141, 11–22. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/237533
- Lippmann, R., Helmstedt, K., Gibbs, M. & Corry, P. (2023). Optimizing facility location, sizing, and growth time for a cultivated resource: A case study in coral aquaculture. PLoS ONE, 18(3). https://eprints.qut.edu.au/238884
- Dean, A., Eberhard, R., Baresi, U., Coggan, A., Deane, F., Hamman, E., Helmstedt, K., Loechel, B., Jarvis, D., Mayfield, H., Stevens, L., Taylor, B. & Vella, K. (2023). Scrutinizing the impact of policy instruments on adoption of agricultural conservation practices using Bayesian expert models. Conservation Letters, 16(6). https://eprints.qut.edu.au/244590
- Bergstrom, D., Wienecke, B., Hoff, J., Hughes, L., Lindenmayer, D., Ainsworth, T., Baker, C., Bland, L., Bowman, D., Brooks, S., Canadell, J., Constable, A., Dafforn, K., Depledge, M., Dickson, C., Duke, N., Helmstedt, K., Holz, A., Johnson, C., Mcgeoch, M., Melbourne-thomas, J., Morgain, R., Nicholson, E., Prober, S., Raymond, B., Ritchie, E., Robinson, S., Ruthrof, K., Setterfield, S., Sgrò, C., Stark, J., Travers, T., Trebilco, R., Ward, D., Wardle, G., Williams, K., Zylstra, P. & Shaw, J. (2021). Combating ecosystem collapse from the tropics to the Antarctic. Global Change Biology, 27(9), 1692–1703. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/208300
- Holloway-Brown, J., Helmstedt, K. & Mengersen, K. (2021). Interpolating missing land cover data using stochastic spatial random forests for improved change detection. Remote Sensing in Ecology and Conservation, 7(4), 649–665. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/229031
- Adams, M., Sisson, S., Helmstedt, K., Baker, C., Holden, M., Plein, M., Holloway, J., Mengersen, K. & Mcdonald-Madden, E. (2020). Informing management decisions for ecological networks, using dynamic models calibrated to noisy time-series data. Ecology Letters, 23(4), 607–619. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/136700
- Anthony, K., Helmstedt, K., Bay, L., Fidelman, P., Hussey, K., Lundgren, P., Mead, D., Mcleod, I., Mumby, P., Newlands, M., Schaffelke, B., Wilson, K. & Hardisty, P. (2020). Interventions to help coral reefs under global change-A complex decision challenge. PLoS ONE, 15(8). https://eprints.qut.edu.au/204766
- Holloway, J., Helmstedt, K., Mengersen, K. & Schmidt, M. (2019). A decision tree approach for spatially interpolating missing land cover data and classifying satellite images. Remote Sensing, 11(15), 1–25. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/131852
- McDonald, J., Helmstedt, K., Bode, M., Coutts, S., Mcdonald-Madden, E. & Possingham, H. (2018). Improving private land conservation with outcome-based biodiversity payments. Journal of Applied Ecology, 55(3), 1476–1485. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/223340
- Helmstedt, K., Stokes-Draut, J., Larsen, A. & Potts, M. (2018). Innovating at the food, water, and energy interface. Journal of Environmental Management, 209, 17–22. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/223434
QUT ePrints
For more publications by Kate, explore their research in QUT ePrints (our digital repository).
Awards
- Type
- Academic Honours, Prestigious Awards or Prizes
- Reference year
- 2022
- Details
- Queensland Young Tall Poppy Award
- Type
- Academic Honours, Prestigious Awards or Prizes
- Reference year
- 2021
- Details
- Rising Star Science Award
Selected research projects
- Title
- Mathematically Optimal Rand D for Coral Reef Conservation
- Primary fund type
- CAT 1 - Australian Competitive Grant
- Project ID
- DE200101791
- Start year
- 2020
- Keywords
- Title
- Securing Antarctica's Environmental Future
- Primary fund type
- CAT 1 - Australian Competitive Grant
- Project ID
- SR200100005
- Start year
- 2020
- Keywords
Projects listed above are funded by Australian Competitive Grants. Projects funded from other sources are not listed due to confidentiality agreements.
Supervision
Current supervisions
- Operations research to optimise logistical deployment of emerging reef restoration technologies
PhD, Associate Supervisor
Other supervisors: Associate Professor Paul Corry, Adjunct Professor Mark Gibbs - Structure and Dynamics of Antartic Governance
PhD, Associate Supervisor
Other supervisors: Professor Michael Bode - Optimal management and development of new technologies to preserve endangered ecosystems in the face of uncertainty
PhD, Principal Supervisor
Other supervisors: Dr Matthew Adams - Biodiversity and Connectivity: The future of Antarctica’s ice-free landscapes
PhD, Associate Supervisor
Other supervisors: Dr Justine Shaw - Data Science to Support Viticulture
PhD, Associate Supervisor
Other supervisors: Distinguished Professor Kerrie Mengersen - Modelling and Optimising Food Systems Impacts on Biodiversity, and Greenhouse Gas Emissions to Enable Sustainable Development
PhD, Principal Supervisor
Other supervisors: Dr Ayesha Tulloch - Mathematically optimising value of information for biodiversity management
PhD, Principal Supervisor
Other supervisors: Professor Michael Bode
Completed supervisions (Doctorate)
- Assessing the risk of marine invasive species to nearshore marine ecosystems of Australia's Antarctic research stations and subantarctic islands (2023)
- Novel Mathematical Models and Simulation Tools for Stochastic Ecosystems (2022)
- Extending Decision Tree Methods for the Analysis of Remotely Sensed Images (2021)
- Optimal Sequential Decision-Making under Uncertainty (2018)
Completed supervisions (Masters by Research)
Supervision topics
- Mathematically optimizing the management of protected areas in the Antarctic ecosystems
- Optimal ecosystem management in rapidly changing systems
- Mathematically optimising value of information for biodiversity management
- Modelling and managing uncertain Antarctic species networks
- Optimal conservation management in uncertain Antarctic environments
- Modelling and managing uncertain Antarctic species networks
- Understanding international governance in Antarctica through cooperative game theory
- Ecological interactions in Antarctic ecosystems
- Statistical methods for detecting Antarctic ecosystems from space
- Considering economics when prioritising species conservation
- Developing optimal management approaches to sustain the Great Barrier Reef