Michelle María Early Capistrán

Bio

Dr. Michelle María Early Capistrán is a Research Scientist at Stanford University's Environmental Social Sciences Department and an Affiliated Researcher at the Bill Lane Center for the American West. Her research addresses pressing issues in marine ecology under climate change by integrating transdisciplinary methods. She combines ethnobiological insights, historical data science, and ecological monitoring to understand and enhance the resilience of marine species and the coastal communities that depend on them, with a particular focus on the historical ecology and conservation of endangered green sea turtles. Dr. Early Capistrán earned her Ph.D. in Marine Science and Limnology from the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM) and is a recipient of the prestigious David H. Smith Conservation Research Fellowship.

Academic Appointments

• Social Science Research Scholar, Environmental Social Sciences

Administrative Appointments

• Member, International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Marine Turtle Specialist Group (2021 - Present)

Honors & Awards

• David H. Smith Conservation Fellowship, Society for Conservation Biology (2022-2023)
• CONACYT Fellow (PhD), Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnología (2017-2021)
• CONACYT Fellow (MS), Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnología (2013-2014)

Professional Education

• PhD, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Ocean Science and Limnology (2021)