{"id":11378,"date":"2024-06-13T10:25:44","date_gmt":"2024-06-13T14:25:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mote.org\/staff\/dr-katherine-katie-mchugh\/"},"modified":"2026-01-10T23:30:26","modified_gmt":"2026-01-11T04:30:26","slug":"dr-katherine-katie-mchugh","status":"publish","type":"staff","link":"https:\/\/mote.org\/staff\/dr-katherine-katie-mchugh\/","title":{"rendered":"Dr. Katherine &#8220;Katie&#8221; McHugh"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"color:#000000\">Katie McHugh is a Senior Scientist and Deputy Program Director of the Sarasota Dolphin Research Program. Katie is employed by Brookfield Zoo Chicago and based at Mote Marine Laboratory as part of a partnership to engage in dolphin research, education, and conservation action. With a lifelong interest in marine wildlife conservation, Katie began studying wild dolphins with the Sarasota Dolphin Research Program as a Mote intern in 2000 while completing B.S. and M.S. degrees in Earth Systems at Stanford University. After a short detour that included assisting with small cetacean research in the Bahamas and New Zealand and a fellowship working on marine protected area and fisheries management at Environmental Defense, Katie returned to the SDRP as a graduate student researcher in 2004, completing her Ph.D. in animal behavior at the University of California Davis studying juvenile dolphin behavior and the effects of harmful algal blooms on dolphins. Katie has continued with the SDRP working primarily on research aimed at understanding and mitigating adverse human-dolphin interactions, and she is also responsible for overseeing behavioral research and the Sarasota Bay Listening Network as well as coordinating training programs for undergraduate interns and international trainees. Katie has also served as an Adjunct Professor at New College of Florida.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":11429,"template":"","department":[970],"class_list":["post-11378","staff","type-staff","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","department-sarasota-dolphin-research-program-sdrp"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v26.7 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Dr. Katherine &quot;Katie&quot; McHugh | Mote Marine Laboratory &amp; Aquarium<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/mote.org\/staff\/dr-katherine-katie-mchugh\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Dr. Katherine &quot;Katie&quot; McHugh | Mote Marine Laboratory &amp; Aquarium\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Katie McHugh is a Senior Scientist and Deputy Program Director of the Sarasota Dolphin Research Program. Katie is employed by Brookfield Zoo Chicago and based at Mote Marine Laboratory as&nbsp;&hellip;\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/mote.org\/staff\/dr-katherine-katie-mchugh\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Mote Marine Laboratory &amp; Aquarium\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-01-11T04:30:26+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/mote.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/4ff0b70c-08c0-4775-93f7-b598ab5b64b6_lg.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1264\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1264\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"1 minute\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/mote.org\/staff\/dr-katherine-katie-mchugh\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/mote.org\/staff\/dr-katherine-katie-mchugh\/\",\"name\":\"Dr. Katherine \\\"Katie\\\" McHugh | Mote Marine Laboratory &amp; Aquarium\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/mote.org\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/mote.org\/staff\/dr-katherine-katie-mchugh\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/mote.org\/staff\/dr-katherine-katie-mchugh\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/mote.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/4ff0b70c-08c0-4775-93f7-b598ab5b64b6_lg.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2024-06-13T14:25:44+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-01-11T04:30:26+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/mote.org\/staff\/dr-katherine-katie-mchugh\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/mote.org\/staff\/dr-katherine-katie-mchugh\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/mote.org\/staff\/dr-katherine-katie-mchugh\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/mote.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/4ff0b70c-08c0-4775-93f7-b598ab5b64b6_lg.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/mote.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/4ff0b70c-08c0-4775-93f7-b598ab5b64b6_lg.jpg\",\"width\":1264,\"height\":1264,\"caption\":\"Dr. Katherine \\\"Katie\\\" McHugh Headshot\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/mote.org\/staff\/dr-katherine-katie-mchugh\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/mote.org\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Staff\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/mote.org\/staff\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":3,\"name\":\"Dr. Katherine &#8220;Katie&#8221; McHugh\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/mote.org\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/mote.org\/\",\"name\":\"Mote Marine Laboratory & Aquarium\",\"description\":\"Today&#039;s Research for Tomorrow&#039;s Oceans\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/mote.org\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/mote.org\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/mote.org\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Mote Marine Laboratory & Aquarium\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/mote.org\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/mote.org\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/mote.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/logo-mote-marine-laboratory-aquarium.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/mote.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/logo-mote-marine-laboratory-aquarium.jpg\",\"width\":700,\"height\":700,\"caption\":\"Mote Marine Laboratory & Aquarium\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/mote.org\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"}}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Dr. Katherine \"Katie\" McHugh | Mote Marine Laboratory &amp; Aquarium","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/mote.org\/staff\/dr-katherine-katie-mchugh\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Dr. Katherine \"Katie\" McHugh | Mote Marine Laboratory &amp; Aquarium","og_description":"Katie McHugh is a Senior Scientist and Deputy Program Director of the Sarasota Dolphin Research Program. Katie is employed by Brookfield Zoo Chicago and based at Mote Marine Laboratory as&nbsp;&hellip;","og_url":"https:\/\/mote.org\/staff\/dr-katherine-katie-mchugh\/","og_site_name":"Mote Marine Laboratory &amp; Aquarium","article_modified_time":"2026-01-11T04:30:26+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1264,"height":1264,"url":"https:\/\/mote.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/4ff0b70c-08c0-4775-93f7-b598ab5b64b6_lg.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Est. reading time":"1 minute"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/mote.org\/staff\/dr-katherine-katie-mchugh\/","url":"https:\/\/mote.org\/staff\/dr-katherine-katie-mchugh\/","name":"Dr. Katherine \"Katie\" McHugh | Mote Marine Laboratory &amp; Aquarium","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/mote.org\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/mote.org\/staff\/dr-katherine-katie-mchugh\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/mote.org\/staff\/dr-katherine-katie-mchugh\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/mote.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/4ff0b70c-08c0-4775-93f7-b598ab5b64b6_lg.jpg","datePublished":"2024-06-13T14:25:44+00:00","dateModified":"2026-01-11T04:30:26+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/mote.org\/staff\/dr-katherine-katie-mchugh\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/mote.org\/staff\/dr-katherine-katie-mchugh\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/mote.org\/staff\/dr-katherine-katie-mchugh\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/mote.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/4ff0b70c-08c0-4775-93f7-b598ab5b64b6_lg.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/mote.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/4ff0b70c-08c0-4775-93f7-b598ab5b64b6_lg.jpg","width":1264,"height":1264,"caption":"Dr. Katherine \"Katie\" McHugh Headshot"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/mote.org\/staff\/dr-katherine-katie-mchugh\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/mote.org\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Staff","item":"https:\/\/mote.org\/staff\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"Dr. Katherine &#8220;Katie&#8221; McHugh"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/mote.org\/#website","url":"https:\/\/mote.org\/","name":"Mote Marine Laboratory & Aquarium","description":"Today&#039;s Research for Tomorrow&#039;s Oceans","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/mote.org\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/mote.org\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/mote.org\/#organization","name":"Mote Marine Laboratory & Aquarium","url":"https:\/\/mote.org\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/mote.org\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/mote.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/logo-mote-marine-laboratory-aquarium.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/mote.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/logo-mote-marine-laboratory-aquarium.jpg","width":700,"height":700,"caption":"Mote Marine Laboratory & Aquarium"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/mote.org\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"}}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mote.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/staff\/11378","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mote.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/staff"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mote.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/staff"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mote.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/11429"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mote.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=11378"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"department","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mote.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/department?post=11378"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}