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Since an early age I had a strong curiosity about the plants and animals surrounding me. I never had any doubt that I wanted my career path to involve interaction with nature. After completing my B.S. in biology at the Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo León in Mexico, I worked for several consulting firms doing flora and fauna surveys. Later on, I completed a Master in Science at the Instituto Politécnico Nacional doing research on bat ecology and management at a biosphere reserve in Durango, Mexico. The following four years I had the opportunity to work as Conservation Coordinator for a multinational corporation. During my experience working in the field I became aware of the need for more science-based conservation decisions and I decided to focus my attention on research applied to conservation by pursuing a Ph.D. in the department of Wildlife and Fisheries Sciences at Texas A&M University and joining the Applied Biodiversity Science program.
My current research is focused on identifying priority sites for the conservation of endangered nectar-feeding bats in the arid and semiarid ecosystems of Northern Mexico and Southern United States. This information is fundamental for developing a strategic conservation plan to maintain the important pollination service these bats provide. This research is being supported by Bat Conservation International, the National Park Service, the Mohammed bin Zayed Species Conservation Fund (case study: http://www.speciesconservation.org/case-studies-projects/mexican-long-nosed-bat/3080), the Global Biodiversity Information Facility, the American Society of Mammalogists, Cleveland Metroparks Zoo and Cleveland Zoological Society.
Implementing on-the-ground conservation practices requires taking into consideration, not only the biological and ecological aspects, but also the social component. The Applied Biodiversity Science program gives me the opportunity to develop a comprehensive perspective of both the ecological and social aspects of conservation issues. I am honored to be part of the ABS multi-disciplinary program and feel very fortunate to have the unique opportunity to interact with the excellent community of scholars involved in biodiversity science and conservation.
More about my current research:
https://today.agrilife.org/2013/06/26/bat-study-lands-young-texas-am-researcher-global-recognition/
http://biodiversity.tamu.edu/2013/02/07/undergrads-mexico/
http://biodiversity.tamu.edu/2012/10/
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