In collaboration with Conservation International and other partners around the globe, Kristina is working to apply big data in the context of marine spatial planning and biodiversity conservation. Her current research focuses on the role and placement of large, pelagic Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) to better protect marine biodiversity and design improved and integrated marine conservation measures. She is also the project lead for a new project co-led between Dalhousie University and the Confederacy of Mainland Mi'kmaq focusing on the research and restoration of nature-based solutions to climate change around Nova Scotia, the Community Eelgrass Restoration Initiative.