Tanja Gesell
From Santa Fe Institute Events Wiki
About my research
My name is Tanja Gesell and I am a PhD student at the Vienna Biocenter, Austria. At the moment, I am finishing my PhD in Bioinformatics. I like working in this field because I enjoy the clear definitions of signs, e.g. {A,C,G,T} for DNA. Based on this well-defined alphabet, I am interested in the mechanisms of explanations: How can we define structure? What are the dynamics of evolution? How and why does structure change?
I already have degrees in Biology and Fine Art. I first heard about the Santa Fe Institute during my art studies and it sparked my fascination for the origin of order and origin of life. So far, I have worked on aspects of A phylogenetic defintion of structure based on neighbourhood systems of RNA structural features. I look forward to deepening my understanding of complex models, as well as mapping my experience to other related fields. I would like to gain more insight in other fields of complex behavior in mathematical, physical, living, and now especially social systems and brain behaviour.
I am looking forward to meeting you all in Santa Fe!
A little more about me
In my free time I like to indulge in my interest in old and modern art (e.g. Giotto, Pierro della Francesca, Mike Kelly, Barnet Newman, Ad Reinhard) and watch old and new movies (e.g. Godard, Bunuel, Kubrick, Tarkowski). Furthermore, I love being with my friends and their pets. I am looking forward to working with you, as well as joining in discussions about structure, models, complexity, perceptions and everything simply with a drink in the evenings in Santa Fe.