Gaia Scianca is a summer assistant researcher employed by the Icelandic Marine and Freshwater Research Institute and the Icelandic Seal Centre. She is working on a project funded by the Rannís Student Innovation Fund, called „UAV assessment of topography and seal distribution“. In the project she is studying the behaviour and habitat selection of the Icelandic harbour seal population under the supervision of Dr. Sandra Granquist and Sebastian Enault. The project employs drone-based photogrammetry to map haul-out topography and identify the key environmental factors to study seal distribution. The results of this work aim to provide critical, evidence-based knowledge to inform conservation management and protected area planning.Gaia has a bachelor’s degree in Marine Sciences from the University of Barcelona and is currently enrolled in a master’s degree program in Environmental Changes in High Latitudes from Lund University and the Landbúnaðarháskóli Íslands, which brings a strong interdisciplinary foundation to the research. Her scientific interests include marine ecology, Arctic environments, and the behavioural ecology of marine animals with a particular focus on species that share a close relationship with human activity. This passion has driven her to volunteer extensively in marine megafauna monitoring projects and to contribute for several years to a marine environmental protection NGO.
Icelandic Seal Center