Andrea C. Encalada is an ecologist specializing in freshwater ecosystems, a professor, and Provost at the Universidad San Francisco de Quito, as well as an Adjunct Professor at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She earned her undergraduate degree from the Pontificia Universidad Católica del Ecuador and her Ph.D. from Cornell University, USA. In 2005, she established the Aquatic Ecology Laboratory at USFQ, and in 2016, she founded the BIOSFERA Research Institute at the same university. Her research covers a range of topics across the ecological hierarchy, from the description of the life history of aquatic insects in temperate mountain streams to biodiversity patterns and ecosystem function in mountain streams of the Amazon and the Tropical Andes.

Over the past 15 years, her work has focused on the structure and function of rivers along altitudinal gradients in Andean-Amazonian basins. Her interest lies in how climate change and other anthropogenic impacts, such as river network desiccation, can affect populations, communities, and ecosystem processes. Between 2019 and 2021, Andrea served as Co-Chair of the Science Panel for the Amazon, a global initiative aimed at the systematization of scientific information and the promotion of long-term conservation of the Amazon Basin. Since 2021, she has been a member of the Scientific Steering Committee of the panel, contributing to conservation efforts in the Amazon region. For her significant contributions to research in Ecuador, Andrea received the National Matilde Hidalgo Award in 2016 and was invited into the National Academy of Sciences of Ecuador.

Andrea is dedicated to advancing biodiversity and river ecosystem conservation through research, education, and collaboration. She values opportunities to mentor and support young scientists while contributing to efforts that promote sustainable development and address socio-environmental challenges.