DRA. LIGIA PÉREZ-CRUZ
Paleoceanographer at UNAM
- Director UNAM Oceanographic Research Platforms (2017-present)
- Professor at Institute of Geophysics National University of México
- Chair Department of Geomagnetism and Exploration, UNAM (2012-2017)
- Researcher. Mexican Petroleum Research Institute (2002-2004)
- Associated Researcher, Exploration Division Mexican Petroleum Research Institute (1993-1997)
- Chief Electron Microscope and X-Ray Analysis Laboratory Geosciences Division
- Mexican Petroleum Research Institute (1994-1997)
- Specialized professional, Exploration Division Mexican Petroleum Research Institute (1992-1993)
About Me
I studied biology, which provided me with a wonderful opportunity for a kaleidoscopic vision of the diversity and complexity of life’s evolution and the organisms that have inhabited the planet. I started studying fossil microorganisms in sediment cores and bottom samples, and from there, I navigated into other research endeavors.
I have been navigating and studying the Gulf of California for several years, investigating climate and ocean variability, processes, mechanisms and teleconnections. My research is inter- and multidisciplinary, since I use different tools of micropaleontology, geochemistry, isotopes, sedimentology and magnetic properties. My research focuses on the marginal and axial basins, drilling and coring, looking at the water column, ocean currents and doing bathymetric surveys. In 2019 I participated in the IODP Expedition 385 in the JOIDES Resolution that represent a great opportunity for studying and understanding the Guaymas Basin — the evolution, processes and dynamics of the Gulf and the tropical Pacific. I feel fortunate to be part of the drilling expedition. International drilling programs open interesting opportunities and this one was a no-brainer for me.
I am also working on the Chicxulub impact crater, in the Yucatan platform, and mass extinctions, participating in 2016 in the IODP Expedition 364 in the Drillship L/B Myrtle and ICDP drilling projects. They cover a wide range of themes, including studies of the Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum and other hyperthermal events during the Cenozoic Era. The significance of these studies is to understand how the life was recovered after a mass extinction and the consequences of global warming.
I was the former president of the Mexican Geophysical Union (UGM) in 2018-2019. In this position I contributed to promote the geosciences in Mexico and the Americas. The UGM Annual Meeting is the largest in Latin America with more than 1000 participants.
Since April 2017, I was designated the Director of the Research Vessels “Justo Sierra” and “El Puma” of the National University of Mexico (UNAM). The vessels have navigated conducting oceanography and marine geophysics expeditions in the Eastern Pacific Ocean, the Gulf of California, the Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean Sea.