Andrew W. Szopa-Comley
Papers
3
Total Citations
38
H-Index
2
About
Andrew W. Szopa-Comley is a behavioral ecologist whose research explores the dynamic, high-stakes interactions between predators and their prey, with a particular focus on the evolution of escape tactics and pursuit strategies. His major contribution lies in the innovative use of responsive robotic prey to experimentally dissect predator-prey relationships—a method that bridges robotics and animal behavior. In his most-cited work (2022, 32 citations), Szopa-Comley programmed interactive robotic prey that fled from blue acara fish (*Andinoacara pulcher*), revealing how predators adapt their pursuit when prey employ predictable versus unpredictable escape tactics. This study demonstrated that predators can adjust their behavior in response to prey predictability, challenging assumptions about the effectiveness of erratic evasion. His subsequent work (2025, 2 citations) identified that blue acaras use pure pursuit rather than parallel navigation when chasing robotic prey, providing mechanistic insights into predatory capture. By merging experimental control with naturalistic behavior, Szopa-Comley’s research offers a powerful framework for understanding coevolutionary arms races, with implications for robotics, cognitive ecology, and the study of decision-making under uncertainty.
Research Focus
Key Achievements
Top Papers
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