Diane Scullion Littler is an American phycologist who has conducted research on

marine algae Marine primary production is the chemical synthesis in the ocean of organic compounds from atmospheric or dissolved carbon dioxide. It principally occurs through the process of photosynthesis, which uses light as its source of energy, but it al ...

for over 30 years, often in partnership with her husband Mark M. Littler. Her work has included taxonomic characterization of assemblages of tropical marine algae at sites across the globe, as well as her research on the physiological and ecological dynamics of algae. She has published over 120 scientific papers, as well as co-authored field guides for identifying

coral reef A coral reef is an underwater ecosystem characterized by reef-building corals. Reefs are formed of colonies of coral polyps held together by calcium carbonate. Most coral reefs are built from stony corals, whose polyps cluster in groups. Co ...

algae. Diane received her master's and doctorate degrees from

Pacific Western University The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean (or, depending on definition, to Antarctica) in the south, and is bounded by the continen ...

, and worked for much of her career as a research scientist at the

Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute (HBOI, FAU Harbor Branch) is a non-profit oceanographic institution operated by Florida Atlantic University in Fort Pierce, Florida, United States. Founded in 1971 as non-profit research organization, the i ...

Florida Atlantic University Florida Atlantic University (Florida Atlantic or FAU) is a Public university, public research university with its main campus in Boca Raton, Florida, and satellite campuses in Dania Beach, Florida, Dania Beach, Davie, Florida, Davie, Fort Lauderd ...

, and as a research associate at the

Smithsonian Institution The Smithsonian Institution ( ), or simply the Smithsonian, is a group of museums and education and research centers, the largest such complex in the world, created by the U.S. government "for the increase and diffusion of knowledge". Founded ...

. In 2003 she received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the

American Academy of Underwater Sciences The American Academy of Underwater Sciences (AAUS) is a group of scientific organizations and individual members who conduct scientific and educational activities underwater. It was organized in 1977 and incorporated in the State of California in ...

References

Year of birth missing (living people) Living people American phycologists American marine biologists Florida Atlantic University faculty Women phycologists Women marine biologists American women biologists Smithsonian Institution people Place of birth missing (living people) American women academics 21st-century American women {{US-biologist-stub