Dayna’s fascination with the natural world began with daily forays into the woods and mountains of Colorado and eventually led to a BS in marine biology, an MS in resource conservation and a PhD in organismic biology and ecology. Dayna has worked in the field of biomimicry with Janine Benyus since 1998 as a business catalyst, educator, researcher, and design consultant. Together they founded the Biomimicry Guild, The Biomimicry Institute, and Biomimicry3.8, collectively fertilizing the movement of biomimicry as an innovative practice and philosophy to meet the world’s sustainability challenges.

Dayna designed and teaches the world’s first Biomimicry Professional Certification Program and compiled over a decade of experience in biomimicry into the Biomimicry Resource Handbook: A Seed Bank of Knowledge and Best Practices (2011). She helped over 100 companies consult the natural world for elegant and sustainable design solutions, including Nike, Interface, General Mills, Boeing, Herman-Miller, Kohler, Seventh Generation and Procter & Gamble. All of this has helped fertilize the movement of biomimicry as a fresh and innovative practice and philosophy to meet the world’s sustainability challenges.

Dayna lives with her family in Montana where she is a gardener, green re-modeler, hunter-gatherer, pilates addict, and naturalist.