I am a first-generation Costa Rican-American (‘GringoTico’) Wildlife Ecologist & Photographer. I have a profound interest in natural history, ecology, and animal behavior. I believe integrative field biology and natural history observations are critical in developing hypothesis-driven research that expands our understanding of the biodiversity in our natural world, and I believe that photography plays a key role in science and conservation communication.

I am currently a Postdoctoral Research Associate at the Institute of Environment at Florida International University. My research aims to better understand predator-prey interactions and small animal population dynamics in South Florida’s Everglades.

My Ph.D. dissertation research at Boston University—funded by an NSF Pre-doctoral Research Fellowship—focused on assessing the reproductive and behavioral ecology of the gliding treefrog (Agalychnis spurrelli). I examined explosive breeding and its consequences for critical adult and embryo behaviors in gliding treefrogs on Costa Rica’s Osa Peninsula.

I received my BSc from UC San Diego, where I worked in collaboration with NOAA’s National Marine Mammal Lab to study the foraging ecology and behavior of northern fur seal pups on the Pribilof Islands in Alaska.

My passion for wildlife, conservation, and animal behavior began at a very young age and was largely due to traveling throughout Costa Rica with my family as a child. My interest in wildlife photography developed at the start of my Ph.D., initially from using it as a tool to study animal behavior in the field. Now, I aim to use photography not only to communicate science but also to help inspire a passion for wildlife, wild places, and create advocates for conservation.

Aside from research, I am also an avid outdoorsman, snake dad, and home cook.

PURA VIDA

– B