I am an interdisciplinary marine scientist with over a decade of experience working alongside coastal communities and small-scale fisheries across Latin America. My work focuses on developing practical, community-centered solutions to the complex socio-environmental challenges facing small-scale fisheries. With a strong commitment to justice and equity, I engage across the full cycle of policy-making, from empirical field research to data analysis, to co-creating policies and management tools that reflect and respond to the needs and priorities of local communities. My expertise spans mixed methods research, multivariate statistics, ethnographic approaches, fisheries science, grassroots organizing, and the facilitation of participatory decision-making among diverse stakeholders. I have supported communities in addressing issues such as enforcement through customary norms, enhancing compliance with fisheries regulations, and critically evaluating the impacts of blue economy and blue transition initiatives to aquaculture on the local well-being of local communities. At the heart of my work is a commitment to making these processes more just, inclusive, and sustainable.

As a postdoctoral researcher with the Ocean Nexus Center, my current research explores the dispossession and displacement of coastal fishing communities in Latin America through a feminist lens, examining how power, identity, and place intersect in ocean governance. Beyond my research, I find joy in painting scenes from the coastal communities I’ve worked with, cooking traditional Honduran dishes, and dancing whenever I get the chance. I also have a deep love for dogs, especially for my dog Cafe, and the many loyal companions I’ve met throughout my fieldwork.