From Hermosillo, Sonora, Mexico, Dr. Adriana. Romero-Olivares was an Assistant Professor in the Department of Evolution, Ecology, and Organismal Biology at UC Riverside. A core goal of her research was to study desert fungi to help plan for and mitigate the effects of global warming. She was widely known and appreciated for her kind and generous nature, her public advocacy to enhance equal access in higher education, and her deep enthusiasm for studying fungi in natural habitats, especially the deserts of the American Southwest.

Dr. Romero-Olivares received both her bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Universidad Autónoma de Baja California. She then earned her Ph.D. from UC Irvine. After multiple postdoctoral appointments, she joined New Mexico State University in Las Cruces, where she served for five years before coming to UC Riverside.