Mairin Balisi

Mairin Balisi grew up in the Philippines, living in Manila until she was 13. Her interest in the natural world developed as she flipped through copies of National Geographic that her grandpa sent from America. She earned her Ph.D. in Ecology & Evolutionary Biology at UCLA and recently served as a NSF Postdoctoral Research Fellow, in a joint position split between La Brea Tar Pits and UC Merced. She has conducted fieldwork throughout the western U.S. and Mexico and has established herself as an expert on fossil mammals. Currently, Dr. Balisi serves as the Augustyn Family Curator at the Raymond M. Alf Museum of Paleontology. Additionally, she teaches paleontology courses, assists with after-school volunteering, and mentors research students.