María José Andrade Núñez is an applied ecologist with extensive experience in the research area of Earth systems science, working with social-ecological systems in Latin America. She has more than 10 years’ experience using geographic information systems and performing spatial analyses to conduct multi-scale research to better understand human impact on ecosystems, communities, species, and landscapes. Dr. Andrade-Núñez earned a master of science degree in natural sciences and a PhD in environmental science, both from the University of Puerto Rico. She can be reached at andradem@si.edu.