I was born and raised in Dorado-Puerto Rico and did my BSc and MSc in geology at the University of Puerto Rico-Mayaguez Campus (¡¡¡Antes, Ahora y Siempre... COLEGIO!!!). During my tenure as an MSc student I worked for an engineering firm, did environmental and geological consulting, and as an Adjunct Professor at Universidad del Este in Carolina-Puerto Rico.

​

For my PhD degree in marine science at the University of South Florida (USF) I worked on the stress response of recent benthic foraminifers related to heavy metal pollution in estuarine environments from Puerto Rico. During my tenure as PhD student I worked as an Adjunct Professor at St. Petersburg College and Manatee Community College. I also had a Visiting Faculty Position at USF-St. Petersburg Campus.

​

Since 2016 at Florida A&M University, I have engaged my undergraduate, graduate, and post doctoral students in research addressing questions related to foraminiferal micropaleontology, environmental micropaleontology, heavy metal pollution, bioavailability, microbiomes, experimental culture work, coastal ecology, fate and transport of pollutants, microplastics, and recent foraminiferal assemblages in coastal ecosystems. In addition, I am also interested in the trophic transfer of heavy metals from benthic communities.

​

I have been lucky that in my career since an undergraduate, I had the opportunity to travel internationally (Australia, Barbados, Chile, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominican Republic, France, Germany, Italy, Jamaica, Mexico, Peru, Portugal, Switzerland, The Netherlands, Scotland, and UK ) and nationally (including US Virgin Islands and Hawaii) to attend conferences and/or do research.