Kayla Hale

Starting at SFI October 2026

Kayla Hale is a theoretical ecologist who studies the emergence of ecological structure, dynamics, and function from feedbacks within and among diverse species interactions.

Her research examined the structure and stability of plant–animal mutualisms (like pollination interactions) embedded within complex food webs. Kayla began her postdoctoral training with Dr. Kevin McCann at the Centre for Ecosystem Management in the University of Guelph as an NSF Postdoctoral Research Fellow in Biology, where her research develops ‘rules of life’ for patterns and consequences of life history variation (bioenergetics, behavior, reproductive and defensive strategies) in ecological systems across scales. She also works in collaboration with management agencies across the Great Lakes Basin to develop models and science transfer tools that support the restoration and resilience of Great Lakes fisheries.

At the Santa Fe Institute, Kayla’s work will center on understanding how environmental disturbances and management interventions propagate through adaptive socio-ecological systems, linking local actions to the emergence and maintenance of valued ecosystem functions. Her research aims to inform challenges in food security, sustainable natural resource production, and biodiversity conservation.

Kayla earned Bachelor of Science degrees in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology and Mathematics from the University of Kansas, followed by a Master of Science from the University of Arizona with Dr. Neo Martinez and a Ph.D. from the University of Michigan with Dr. Fernanda Valdovinos supported by an NSF Graduate Research Fellowship.