Diana LaScala-Gruenewald

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After finishing an undergraduate degree in Biological Engineering at MIT, I transitioned to marine biology at Hopkins Marine Station at Stanford University. I am halfway through my doctoral studies, and am hoping to expand my understanding of complex systems science at SFI this summer. My dissertation research focuses on the scaling properties of foraging behavior, and how those properties change with environmental factors. More specifically, I examine how limpets (small marine snails) shift their behavior in response to food distributions, topographical features and wave forces.

My academic interests are as follows: 1) How do simple searchers navigate complex environments? 2) How do food distributions affect foraging behavior? 3) How does one quantify searching behavior? 4) I also maintain interests in food webs and the long-term effects of climate change on marine organisms.

I would be very interested in contributing to group projects that address any of these topics, either directly or indirectly. However, I am also open to new ideas. I am a proficient programmer in Python and MATLAB, but am new to NetLogo and R.

Check out my Hopkins Marine Station profile page here: website