She is an interdisciplinary researcher focused on assessing the bioresource value of marine molluscs. She has successfully supervised 18 PhD, 3 Masters, and 31 Honours students. Kirsten has published six invited book chapters and 92 papers in international peer-reviewed scientific journals. She is Associate Editor for Scientific Reports and Collection Editor for the Marine Drugs topical collection on Bioactive Compounds from Marine Invertebrates. In recognition of her contributions to marine science, Kirsten was awarded the 2011 Dorothy Hill Award from the Australian Academy of Science, the 2008 SA Young Tall Poppy Award, and the 2000 Young Australian of the Year Award in Science and Technology.