Sonia Gallina Tessaro was awarded her Bachelor of Science, Master of Science and Doctorate by the Faculty of Sciences of the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM). She is a tenured researcher, listed on the National System of Researchers (SNI II). She is a pioneer in the long-term eco-ethological studies of deer in areas such as population dynamics, habitat use, feeding behavior, activity patterns and conservation strategies in a variety of protected areas in Mexico. She set up and coordinated the Master of Science degree program in Wildlife Management at the Instituto de Ecología, A.C. She has served as president of the Mexican Mammalogy Association (AMMAC) and is currently the coordinator of the North American Region for the IUCN-SSC-Deer Specialist Group and is a member of the Mexican Academy of Sciences. She is on the editorial boards of
Acta Zoológica Mexicana (n.s.) and
Acta Biológica Colombiana. She has published 73 scientific articles, 69 book chapters and 44 articles for magazines and newspapers, and has co-edited 9 books and co-authored one.