Karen Diele

Biography

I am a Reader in Marine Sciences at Edinburgh Napier University since 2012, with part-time secondment as Co-Director of Research at St Abbs Marine Station (since 2015; www.marinestation.co.uk). I am Napier’s Research Lead for Animal and Plant Sciences and for Unit of Assessment 7, Research Exercise Framework. I am also an active member of the Marine Alliance for Science and Technology for Scotland (MASTS; www.masts.ac.uk). Before moving to Scotland, I was researcher at the Leibniz Centre of Tropical Marine Ecology (ZMT) in Bremen, Germany, with projects in Brazil and Vietnam (2011-2006). Between 2000 and 2005 I was based in Northern Brazil as a postdoctoral fellow and then vice-coordinator of a 10 yrs bilateral research project on Mangrove Dynamics and Management (MADAM - collaboration ZMT and Federal University of Pará), co-funded by the German BMBF (Federal Ministry of Education and Research) and the Brazilian CNPq/CAPES (National Counsel of Technological and Scientific Development / Ministry of Education). In 2000 I gained my PhD degree in Biology at the University Bremen / ZMT, Germany.

Research Interest

My research focusses on (i) the dynamics and management of coastal ecosystems and their associated benthic fauna/fisheries resources, (ii) the linkages between biodiversity and ecosystem functions and services and (iii) life cycles, behaviour and functional ecology of marine invertebrates, and their responses to environmental stressors (e.g. underwater noise, climatic stressors). I have been working in mangrove forests, seagrass meadows, rocky shores and biogenic reefs. My approach involves both descriptive and experimental field and laboratory studies to answer relevant biological and ecological questions and to deliver management solutions.