Overview
My academic and professional training is based on a deep conviction that it is through integrating different disciplinary perspectives and methods that we will be able to find solutions to challenging dilemmas in natural resources management, conservation, and environmental policy. Trained as a marine biologist, I completed a M.S in natural resources studying small-scale fisheries in the Gulf of California, Mexico. Realizing the need to bring social science theories into my work on common-pool resources sustainability, I earned an MPA and a Ph.D. in Management (with a minor in cultural anthropology) from the University of Arizona and under the supervision of Edella Schlager. Following I spent two years working with Elinor Ostrom, 2009 co-winner of the Nobel Prize in Economics, at the Workshop for Political Theory and Policy Analysis of Indiana University. Methodologically, I am familiar with a variety of quantitative and qualitative approaches and formally trained to conduct Qualitative Comparative Analysis (QCA or more recently fsQCA), that allows among other things, systematic comparisons of middle range N sample sizes and address issues of multiple-causality.
Current Appointments & Affiliations
Recent Publications
Developing a Comprehensive Index for Beaches to Enhance Sustainability and Visitor Experience Through Holistic Monitoring
Journal Article Sustainability Switzerland · April 1, 2025 This study presents the development of the Comprehensive Index for Beaches (CIB), a holistic tool designed to address the limitations of traditional beach monitoring systems by integrating social and ecological dimensions within a socio-ecological systems ... Full text CiteDeveloping a characterization matrix for small-scale fisheries.
Other · March 26, 2025 Small-scale fisheries (SSF) play a major role in the fisheries sector with over 490 million people depending at least partially on them. The sector is estimated to account for 40 percent of total inland and marine capture fisheries production, up t ... Full text CiteA global assessment of preferential access areas for small-scale fisheries
Other · March 26, 2025 We provide the first global assessment of the status of preferential access areas (PAAs), a relatively understudied policy tool to govern small-scale fisheries. We find 44 countries, most of them of low or low-middle income, have established a tota ... Full text CiteRecent Grants
Strengthening Fishing Organizations in Mexico
ResearchPrincipal Investigator · Awarded by Walton Family Foundation · 2022 - 2024Facilitating Small-Scale Fisheries Science and Governance
ResearchPrincipal Investigator · Awarded by Oak Foundation · 2021 - 2024CNH2-S: Measuring adaptive responses that strengthen governance of marine resources along the Baja California Peninsula
ResearchPrincipal Investigator · Awarded by National Science Foundation · 2020 - 2024View All Grants