Diana Varela is an Associate Professor in the department of biology and the school of earth and ocean sciences at the University of Victoria. She holds a ‘Licenciatura’ (Bachelor in Science Honours) in biology and oceanography from the ‘Universidad Nacional del Sur’ in Argentina, a master of arts from the Boston University marine program, and a Ph.D. from the department of earth and ocean sciences at the University of British Columbia. She was a post-doctoral scholar at the West Vancouver Laboratory (Fisheries and Oceans Canada), University of British Columbia, University of California Santa Barbara and Simon Fraser University prior to her faculty position at the University of Victoria.