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Patina Mendez is a freshwater ecologist and continuing lecturer in Environmental Science, Policy, and Management at the University of California, Berkeley. She holds a Ph.D. in Environmental Science, Policy, and Management from UC Berkeley, obtained in 2007, and has a B.S. in Zoology and a B.A. in Art from the University of Texas at Austin, both completed in 1999. Mendez's research primarily focuses on life history traits and community structure of benthic macroinvertebrates, with a particular interest in caddisflies (Trichoptera). Her work employs natural history museum collections and field studies to characterize life history variation at small spatial scales, analyzing how life cycle timing, feeding, and reproductive strategies vary among populations. Mendez has contributed significantly to understanding species diversity and distribution changes over the past century in California streams. As the curator of the Trichoptera Literature Database, she oversees a bibliography comprising over 14,000 references related to caddisfly research. She has received numerous awards for her teaching and mentorship at UC Berkeley, highlighting her commitment to undergraduate research and scientific writing education.
University of California, Berkeley • Berkeley, CA
Teaching capstone courses in Environmental Sciences, mentoring senior undergraduate students in thesis research projects, and teaching various courses related to environmental science.
The Mathematics Subject GRE is required for the Fall 2026 admissions cycle. General GRE is optional.