María Beatríz Pérez

Junior Researcher

María graduated as a biologist from the Central University of Ecuador. After completing the degree, she had the opportunity to work on various biological research projects, including collaboration with the Instituto Nacional de Biodiversidad. In 2016, she volunteered at CDF and contributed to the Philornis downsi project. This experience motivated her to become involved in conservation projects in western Ecuador and become part of a group of field monitors collaborating with the Ministry of Environment and UNDP in the remnants of tropical rainforests in the province of Guayas.

In 2018, María was awarded a scholarship to pursue a master's degree focused on Climate Change and its effects on biodiversity at the Universidad Andina Simón Bolívar. Since February 2024, she has had the opportunity to once again be part of the CDF, this time as a Junior Researcher studying potential biological control agents of Philornis downsi. Whenever time permits, she continues to advance her training in biological research methodologies of the tropical canopy.