Mali Valerio

Mali was born and raised in the South of England in the South Downs National Park surrounded by woodlands, chalk grassland and sheep farming, where she developed a passion for the outdoor world. She received her bachelor’s degree in Zoology from the University of Exeter. Living by the coast during her degree opened her eyes to the world of life under the water. She was an ecological consultant in the UK, working with NGO’s and private businesses to ensure that planning proposals adhered to environmental legislation, and working with landowners to promote biodiversity on their properties. It was during a time working on a beaver reintroduction programme that she fell into the world of benthic macroinvertebrates (BMI). She moved to California in January 2024 and volunteered with SSI in the BMI lab. She is now the BMI Lab Manager and is excited to continue the awesome research and monitoring being conducted by SSI.