Liliana Sierra Castillo
Bren PhD student
Office: Bren Hall 4328
Email: lscastillo@bren.ucsb.edu
Lili (she/her) is a Sustainable Oceans Fellow and a The Nature Conservancy (TNC) Fellow. She is an interdisciplinary fishery scientist who is deeply passionate about environmental justice. Her research interests are in marine social-ecological systems, particularly small-scale fisheries and community-based aquaculture. She uses theory and methods from quantitative research (such as marine ecology and fishery sciences) and qualitative research (such as social sciences and anthropology) to better understand the complexity of these systems. Her work is closely related with the development of policy and management tools, aimed to improve the livelihood of fishers, and community members who rely on fishery resources for their living. Her current research focuses in understanding the strategies communities use to enforce regulations in small-scale fisheries, and determining what is needed from fishers to successfully transition from wild-caught small-scale fisheries to aquaculture in underdeveloped countries. Lili is obsessed with her doggo, so in her free time she will usually be on a run or on the beach with him. She also loves to paint using oil paint and watercolor, and to cook food from her home country Honduras.