My research is motivated by my interest in understanding the role that large predators, particularly marine mammals, play in marine ecosystems, especially in areas more susceptible to human-induced climatic change. To help to answer these questions, I use Biologging technologies and Stable Isotope Analyses to improve our understanding of the link between changing environments and the at-sea behaviours of marine top predators.
I was born and raised in Venezuela to Chilean parents and moved to Chile in my teens. After getting my Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Marine Biology and Oceanography in Chile at the Universidad de Concepcion, I got awarded a Fulbright Fellowship and moved to the United States to pursue my PhD, where I lived for 15 years as an immigrant scientist, and I have been living in England since late 2021.
"The only way to tackle the ever-increasing challenge that is to understand and mitigate the current pressures affecting marine ecosystems is by forging a robust and diverse community of scientists that brings in expertise and experience from a wide range of backgrounds. Marine scientists from minority groups and the Global South, communities largely absent in marine sciences, must have a place at the table. The inclusion of underrepresented groups in marine science can only improve our chances of successfully face the climate and biodiversity loss crises."