Andrea Paz-Lacavex is a Ph.D. student in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at the University of California, Santa Cruz, in the Raimondi-Carr Lab. She has experience working on kelp restoration initiatives and coastal ecosystem monitoring in Mexico and the U.S. Using long-term ecological monitoring, field and laboratory experiments, and spatial analyses, her research focuses on identifying the ecological and geomorphological attributes that enhance kelp forest persistence. For her CCCR Fellowship project, Andrea is analyzing patterns of kelp forest resistance and resilience at the Wheeler North Reef and reference reefs, contributing to more effective climate adaptation strategies and informing the design of climate-ready artificial reefs in California.