As a foremost expert on spiders of the West Indies and Central America, I have published more than 100 papers on the systematics and biogeography of spiders and other insects in the region. My passion for birding began in 1977, and since then, I have also published 15 papers related to avian biology and behavior. Currently, I am working on a book about the Ivory–billed Woodpecker, which I claim to have seen in eastern Cuba as recently as 1992.

My research has taken me to various island nations in the Lesser Antilles and multiple trips to the United States, supported by grants from prestigious institutions such as the American Museum of Natural History, the Smithsonian Institution, and the Museum of Comparative Zoology at Harvard University. From 1995 to 2001, I served as president of the Cuban Zoological Society. I earned my PhD from the University of Havana in 2000 and am fluent in English, which has facilitated my participation in numerous international collaborations and conferences.