Bioscience

I am the Curator of Biosciences at the NM Museum of Natural History and Science and an and Associate Curator and Associate Research Professor at the Museum of Southwestern Biology at the University of New Mexico where I am part of the CUERVO Lab (Center for Understanding Evolutionary Relationships of Various Organisms). At the NMMNH&S I oversee the research, educational activities, and exhibits using specimens of six research collections (Amphibians and Reptiles, Birds, Fish, Insects, Invertebrates, and Mammals).

New Mexico has an extremely high diversity of plant and animal groups. For example, New Mexico ranks second in number of species of native mammals (151) after California (161, not including marine mammals), which is 1.3 times larger in area. New Mexico's biological diversity is a result of its location, topographic and geologic diversity, and time, especially the last 700,000 years.  

The mission of the Bioscience Collection is to provide access to the museum’s collections of plants, mammals, birds, reptiles and amphibians, insects and molluscs that represent the natural history of New Mexico and southwestern North America (United States and Mexico), and to serve as a safe repository for in-house research specimens. These collections are used for education, research and exhibits. We also have an extensive photographic slide collection of New Mexico plants and birds.