Isabela Hernandez

Isabela is a PhD student in the Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Department at Yale University. She is currently exploring the patterns that influence physiological diversity in frogs and lizards found in the Caribbean region. This area is home to some of the world's most remarkable biodiversity phenomena, many of which are currently threatened by global change. Before beginning her PhD, Isabela worked as a government official in the Ministry of Environment of the Dominican Republic, where she was responsible for the Program for Invasive Species Control. She holds a B.S. in Biology from the Autonomous University of Santo Domingo. During her undergraduate studies and time at the Ministry, she participated in numerous conservation initiatives aimed at protecting both local and global biodiversity, which is crucial for combating the climate and biodiversity crisis. She has also served as a national negotiator in the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity, strongly advocating for the biological resources of Latin America and the Caribbean. Her broad interests lie in unraveling the eco physiological adaptations that enable organisms to cope with fluctuations in water and temperature, allowing them to withstand environmental challenges. She is eager to keep on exploring the mechanism of physiological adaptation and translate these scientific findings into conservation and communication tools for biodiversity protection.