I am an action-focused biologist, storyteller, and educator who works on interdisciplinary initiatives to address socio-environmental challenges such as climate change, biodiversity loss, massive Sargassum landings, deforestation, and the refugee crisis. I have been a National Geographic Explorer since 2021, working on projects that involve (1) collaborating with Indigenous leaders in Latin America for Traditional Plant Knowledge revitalization, (2) implementing photography and storytelling workshops for Indigenous Youth in Panama, (3) educational and technological co-design with coastal communities to re-purpose Sargassum seaweed in Colombia and Puerto Rico, and (4) leading drone and storytelling workshops for park rangers and youth conservation groups in Peru towards the conservation of the critically endangered yellow-tailed woolly monkey. I have previous experience as a project and community engagement manager for the international NGO Future Earth, leading the engagement with First Nations in Canada and working to incorporate their perspectives into our research to find better avenues for implementing equitable Nature-based Solutions in Canada.

I am the founder of the SargaSTREAM project, having led the research proposal, assembled the interdisciplinary team of researchers and Local Leaders to implement it, and secured funding for project implementation. I have always believed that effective research and conservation projects must be tightly intertwined with community development, empowerment, and support. As such, it is an honor to be working on this very relevant project that aims to create actionable results that mitigate the harmful impacts of massive sargassum landings and provide our local collaborators with the necessary tools to address not only Sargassum but also other Climate-change and land-use challenges that may arise in the future.