Tania Pineda-Enriquez

Dr. Tania Pineda-Enriquez (she/her) joined us in May 2025 as the Collections Manager of Echinoderms. She earned her Ph.D. from the University of Florida and holds both her Master’s and Bachelor’s degrees from the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM).

Tania is an experienced marine biologist and evolutionary taxonomist with over a decade of research focused on the systematics and phylogenetics of echinoderms, particularly brittle stars (ophiuroids). Her work investigates macroevolutionary dynamics, speciation patterns, and taxonomy to better understand the remarkable diversity of brittle stars in shallow tropical reef habitats around the world. 

With more than 10 years of experience in museum collections, Tania brings extensive expertise in specimen identification, processing, and curation, as well as molecular techniques and database management. She is passionate about the care and stewardship of the echinoderm collection and is committed to supporting researchers and advancing marine biodiversity science through collaborative science.