Member of the National System of Researchers (Level 1: Mexico), Catherine graduated with a degree in Marine Biology from the Technological Institute of Bahía de Banderas (2004-2008), she has a master’s degree in Conservation and Biodiversity from the University of Exeter- England (2008-2009) and PhD in Biosystematics, Ecology and Management of Natural and Agricultural Resources at the University of Guadalajara. She is a member of the IUCN Marine Turtle Specialist Group and the Eastern Pacific Hawksbill Initiative, as well as the University of Exeter Marine Turtle Research Group and the Grupo Tortuguero de las Californias A.C. in the latter she participates in the scientific committee. She has 20 years of experience working in sea turtle conservation in northwestern Mexico, specifically in Nayarit and Jalisco. She is a founding member and coordinator of Red Tortuguera focused on sea turtle nesting areas; She was the scientific director of the civil association Investigación, Capacitación y Soluciones Ambientales y Sociales (ICSAS A.C.), an institution that works on various environmental projects including management of UMAs, environmental education and resource management. In May 2023, she will take on the role of director of the Ocean Health and Blue Economy program at the Oceanic Research Center of the Sea of Cuts, part of the Great Aquarium of Mazatlán.