MESM 2025
Pronouns: she/her
Bio
Manuela Díaz graduated with distinction from the Pontifical Catholic University of Chile (PUC) in 2018 with a BA in Integral Design and earned a certificate in Integrated Management of Coastal Areas in 2022. Manuela's diving experience guided her to pursue her senior project in the design of a citizen science platform for monitoring marine biodiversity in Chile through diving observations. After graduating, she worked as a service design consultant and gained expertise in business strategies, value proposals, sustainable tourism, and customer experience design and research. In 2021, Manuela joined the Chile-California Council to design and communicate on inter-country knowledge transfer and collaboration on climate action projects – such as assessments of the economic potential of Chile's coastal ecosystems and capacity-building programs for MPA monitoring. Since 2022, she has volunteered for the Refugia Foundation, led by two former MESM students. She worked with local communities and stakeholders in the Maule Region of Chile and conducted qualitative research to support conservation solutions for coastal wetlands. At Bren, Manuela is planning on specializing in Coastal Resource Management and Business and Sustainability with a focus in Environmental Innovation and Entrepreneurship. She wants to explore the connection between human-centered design and coastal marine management to advance her ability to design services, products, and experiences that enhance coastal marine ecosystems' resilience and benefit underrepresented communities.