1. What do you study related to biodiversity (what are your research questions, what organisms do you work on)?
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tropical lichens
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correlation between biodiversity and habitat/microhabitat type/factors (microclimate, phorophyte features)
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correlation between biodiversity/community structure and disturbance levels
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natural mechanisms that affect and maintain high small-scale diversity (intermediate disturbances model, density-dependent lichenivory effects)
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2. How do you study biodiversity (for example, what technological tools and methodologies do you use in your research)?
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 I use experimental designs (artificial substrates) to address these questions. I also apply biostatistical methods to analyze diversity patterns and their correlation with environmental parameters.
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3. Where do you study biodiversity?
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My past and current projects are chiefly in Costa Rica, but also in Mexico, Ecuador, and Brazil.
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4. How might your research have implications for biological conservation?
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The results can be used to evaluate particular sites by using lichens as indicators of ecological continuity. In addition, the mechanisms of diversity maintenance can be tested for other plant and forest communities to derive management plans.
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5. How did you become interested in science? What made you want to be a scientist, and how did you get to The Field Museum?
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 The day I was seven years old and saw my first lizard was the day I decided to become a biologist. I visited the Field Museum in 1999 to work in the Pritzker Lab and was so fascinated by this place that I applied for an open position. I didn't get that one but was invited to fulfill a temporary position as Adjunct Curator and recently assigned Collections Manager.
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6. Describe important collaborations for your scientific endeavors (describe your work with other researchers, organizations, or scientific groups, local or indigenous peoples, etc.)
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Collaboration with local scientific institutions are crucial to the success of my research. This includes UNAM in Mexico, University of Costa Rica, OTS and INBio in Costa Rica, the National Herbarium and Universidad Catolica in Ecuador, and the Federal University of Pernambuco in Brazil, among others. Connecting with the local people and absorbing different cultures and mentalities has always been a fun part of my research in Latin America.
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