Graduate Spotlight: Ana Sofía Guerra

Spotlights

About Ana

Ana Sofía Guerra is a Ph.D. student in the McCauley and Caselle labs. She is from Monterrey, Mexico and has a B.S. in Biology from Stanford University.

Why UCSB EEMB?

UCSB is in such a great location, you really can't beat the views, and where else can you go kayaking on a work break? The weather is amazing here, the traffic is light, and I can bike pretty much anywhere. Not only is the location great, but there is such a huge diversity of fields that are studied in the EEMB department. I walk into a seminar and get to learn about topics varying from plant genetics all the way to marine mammals. And when you do have an overlap in fields, it’s great to see so much collaboration across different labs.

Research

I conduct most of my fieldwork on Pacific coral reefs where I study the effects of fishing on fish schooling behavior and the ecological importance of schooling fish to the ecosystems they inhabit. My introduction to this field came as an undergraduate student when I got a job as a field assistant studying the effects of fishing on lagoon environment. This piqued my curiosity, and I began asking more questions about the different ways humans alter ocean ecosystems. I spend a lot of time in ocean systems, and I always find myself asking questions, even when I’m just diving for fun. I see ecology as a never-ending puzzle, and it is incredibly rewarding when I figure out how to fit another piece into the puzzle ¬– it helps create a clearer picture of what makes nature tick.

Funding

I was fortunate to have found financial support for my research through the UCSB Doctoral Scholars Fellowship and NSF Graduate Student Research Fellowship