He is a Full Professor and Research Scientist at Scripps Institution of Oceanography (SIO), National Geographic Explorer, and a professional photographer associate with the International League of Conservation Photographers (iLCP). In 2009 obtained his PhD at the Center of Marine Biodiversity and Conservation at SIO and was awarded the Jean Fort Award by the University of California, San Diego, for his significant contribution to an issue of public concern through his research on Mangrove forests. In 2010 was the recipient of the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) Kathryn Fuller Science for Nature Fund Fellowship; was awarded the Conservation of Nature prize by the Mexican Ministry of the Environment – CONANP in 2014; received a Hellman Fellowship for a Junior Faculty Research Project in 2015; and a PEW Marine Fellowship in 2018. His research has focused on marine reserves, ecosystem services, long-term monitoring programs, and commercially exploited marine species and their fisheries in Mexico, Belize, Costa Rica, Ecuador, and the U.S.