I am a coastal ecologist interested in exploring the dynamics between coastal ecosystems and human communities. I recently completed my PhD at the University of Florida in 2025 where I measured the effects of urbanization on mangrove structure and function in Miami, FL, my hometown, and evaluated the role of mangroves for water quality mitigation purposes. I found that highly urbanized mangroves are fragmented and have distinct characteristics, like greater metal concentrations and mangrove species mixing, but are still providing important ecosystem functions and services. 
 
I am a David H. Smith Postdoctoral Fellow based in the Mangrove Lab with collaborators at Florida International University and the Jobos Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve in Puerto Rico, where my family is from. Through my fellowship, I am building on my urban mangrove work by learning how communities interact with mangroves. I am dedicated to advancing solutions that support the resilience of coastal ecosystems and human well-being on a changing planet, and I believe that inclusive conservation and management practices can help move us toward these goals. My project aims to produce community-based research that brings local perspectives into mangrove carbon research and conservation efforts using a multi-disciplinary approach. Broadly, I will be measuring carbon dynamics across land-use types and exploring how mangrove management is perceived among different stakeholders to inform local resource management plans.
 
When I'm not mangrove forest bathing, I enjoy boiling peanuts, live music, and water activities. 

 
Publications
Reyes, Smyth, Qiu, Reynolds. 2024. Highly urbanized mangrove areas are small in size, fragmented, and missed by large-scale mapping efforts. Wetlands 44, 103.

Kinsman-Costello, Bean, Goeckner, Matthews, O'Driscoll, Palta, Peralta, Reisinger, Reyes, Smyth, Stofan. 2023. Mud in the city: Effects of freshwater salinization on inland urban wetland nitrogen and phosphorus availability and export. Limnology and Oceanography Letters 8, 112-130.

Harris, Purkis, Reyes. 2018. Statistical pattern analysis of surficial karst in the Pleistocene Miami oolite of South Florida. Sedimentary Geology 367, 84-95.