Laura C. Loyola

Laura C. Loyola, Ph.D., is an Assistant Professor (Teaching) of Spatial Sciences and Director of Undergraduate Studies with the Spatial Sciences Institute at the University of Southern California Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Science.

Her research is in the behavioral ecology and conservation of the Tana River red colobus (Procolobus rufomitratus). She investigates the behavioral observations and spatio-temporal analyses on the relationship between habitat quality and metabolizable energy for an endangered species in its natural habitat, which have consequences for wildlife conservation and forest management. She uses geographic information science (GIS) and remote sensing techniques to achieve applied conservation goals on a broad scale.

Read about her work to preserve the Tana River red colobus habitat in Kenya.

Her honors and awards include the 2013-2014 Women in Science and Engineering (WiSE) Merit Fellowship. She currently serves as a reviewer for the University Consortium of Geographic Information Science (UCGIS) Geographic Information Science and Technology Body of Knowledge and served on the USC Dornsife College Faculty Council Curriculum Caucus.

She is a member of the Society for the Advancement of Chicanos and Native Americans in Sciences (SACNAS), the American Association of Physical Anthropologists, the Animal Behavioral Society, the International Society of Primatologists, the American Society of Primatologists, The Sierra Club, the Wildlife Conservation Society, and The Nature Conservancy.

Ph.D., Integrative and Evolutionary Biology, University of Southern California
Graduate Certificate, Geographic Information Science and Technology, University of Southern California
B.A., Biology, Amherst College

Loyola, L.C., Knowles, J.T., Marx, A.J., McAlinden, R., Fleming, S.D, “Research and teaching application of remote sensing integration with GIS: Lessons from the field.” Journal of Geographic Information System. 11:670-682, 2019.

Tom-Jack, Q., Bernstein, J., Loyola, L.C., “The role of geoprocessing in mapping crime hot streets.” ISPRS International Journal of Geo-Information. 8(no.12): 540-560, 2019.

Loyola, L.C. “Financial barriers to entering the primatological field: A brief commentary.” International Journal of Primatology. 40: 465-467 (2019).

Coiner-Collier, S., Scott, R.S., Chalk-Wilayto, J., Cheyne, S.M., Constantino, P., Dominy, N.J., Elgart, A.A., Glowacka, J. & Loyola, L.C., “Primate dietary ecology in the context of food mechanical properties.” Journal of Human Evolution. 98: 103-118, 2016.

Loyola, L.C., Moore, T., Turcotte, L.P., Delgado, R.A. “The Tana River red colobus mediate seasonal variations in metabolizable energy intake through behavioral modifications.” Paper presented at the Joint Meeting of the International Primatological Society and American Society of Primatologists, Chicago, IL 2016.

Loyola, L.C., Delgado, R.A. “The Tana River red colobus (Procolobus refomitratus) exhibit behavioral flexibility to changes in habitat quality: A longitudinal and spatial comparison of behavioral ecology.” Paper presented at the 84^th Annual Meeting of the American Association of Physical Anthropologists, St. Louis, MO, 2015.