Eréndira M. Quintana Morales, Ph.D.

Dr. Quintana Morales is an Assistant Professor of Anthropology at the University of California, Santa Cruz, and a former postdoctoral scholar in the Department of Anthropology at Penn State University. Her research integrates various anthropological research themes, including the historical ecology of coastal environments, the role of foodways in social identity and interaction, coastal urbanism and the application of archaeology towards the conservation of coastal biodiversity and livelihoods. She earned her PhD from the University of Bristol in the United Kingdom. Her research has been funded by a Fyssen postdoctoral study grant at the Natural History Museum in Paris during 2014 and an NSF-funded postdoctoral Research fellowship in the Department of Anthropology at Rice University from 2015-2017. Her current work in eastern Africa and southwest Madagascar investigates the socio-ecological impacts of human interaction with the rich fish biodiversity of coastal areas through collaborative community-based research. Outside of the lab, she enjoys hiking with her dog Yunque, running, and creating arts and crafts.