M.Sc Ana K. Celis
About me
Ana K. Celis is an archaeologist and coastal oceanographer specializing in subterranean ecosystems. She founded Karst Lab Mexico to integrate scientific, educational, and community-based solutions for the management of caves and cenotes on the Yucatán Peninsula. She is a Fulbright Alumni; a founding member of the Mexico-USA Binational Working Group on Karst Resources; Secretary of the Cave Biology Commission (UIS); a member of the Cave and Karst Protection Commission (UIS); and Co-Chair of the International Governance Working Group of the German Speleological Federation (VdHK).
Ana K. Celis holds a bachelor’s degree in Archaeology from Universidad Veracruzana, and a master’s degree in Coastal Oceanography from Universidad Autónoma de Baja California, México.
As a short-term fellow at Smithsonian in Panama, she developed a strong sense of commitment to create positive social impacts through her profession. For the last seven years, she has worked for nonprofits, government agencies and the private sector in the areas of subterranean ecosystem conservation, cave archaeology and groundwater quality monitoring. Ana currently serves as director and founder of Karst Lab México. She coordinates local capacity-building projects and provides consultancy services for ecosystems conservation and sustainable development in indigenous and urban-sprawl communities. Since 2022, she has collaborated with Western Kentucky University and Mammoth Cave National Park to strengthen U.S.-México partnerships in Cave and Karst Science.
She is a Fulbright Alumni, a founding member of the Mexico-USA Binational Working Group on Karst Resources; Secretary of the Cave Biology Commission (UIS); a member of the Cave and Karst Protection Commission (UIS); and Co-Chair of the International Governance Working Group of the German Speleological Federation (VdHK).
Ana has worked as university professor, advocating to reduce the gender gap in STEM for marine science. She leads an in-water scientific training program empowering female students to pursue careers in the water sciences and a current research in this field addressesing the role of women in diving jobs in México.
Degrees:
o IDCK Official website: https://www.caveskarstday.org/home
o Mexico was finally listed as co-sponsor of the IDCK in the provisional agenda of the 222nd session of the UNESCO Executive Board and KLM included within the 25 supporting organizations (the only one from Mexico) in Anex Page 3, number 65 https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000395601
2. Co-led NGO engagement and on-site diplomacy at UNEA-7 to advocate for the first UN resolution on karst ecosystems.
o Official website: https://www.karst-aware.org/home
o German Speleological Federation (VdHK) Press Release: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1SMGUxb-eMGWMbsvONLIZmM4cRuij8HIa/view
o Intervention (at 1:19:00) during the IUCN-led side event titled "Flow Forward: Transboundary water cooperation to restore and sustain water ecosystems from source to sea," held on December 8th, 2025, during UNEA-7: https://www.youtube.com/live/m0Lvclr9KYM
3. In 2022, I co-founded a U.S.-Mexico science diplomacy initiative to protect globally significant karst ecosystems, leveraging UNESCO designations and State Department exchange programs.
The purpose is to use shared science as a diplomatic tool, facilitating the exchange of knowledge, technology, and management strategies to protect these vital aquifer systems for future generations.
o 4-year outcomes of the initiative: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/395694811_USA-Mexico_Exchange_on_Cave_and_Karst_Science_and_Management
o U.S. Biosphere Network Report 2025 highlights our binational efforts on page 8: https://largelandscapes.org/wp-content/uploads/USBN-2025-Year-Report.pdf
o Intervention at the Global Leadership Forum (Nov. 2024): https://globalaffairs.ucdavis.edu/news/humphrey-fellow-speaks-international-forum-warning-about-overtaxing-groundwater-resources