Professor María Elena Castellanos Páez is a Biologist who graduated from the Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana (UAM) Xochimilco Campus. She has a Master's in Fisheries Sciences from the Faculty of Fisheries Sciences, University of Kagoshima, Japan, and a Ph.D. from the Faculty of Applied Sciences, University of Hiroshima, Japan. The master's and doctoral studies were financed by the Ministry of Education of the Japanese Government (Monbusho) from 1983 to 1989. She has had a PROMEP profile since 2003.

She is head of the Plankton Laboratory of Rotiferology and Molecular Biology. Responsible for the Project "Rotifers of Mexico" approved by the Divisional Council of C.B.S. of the UAM Xochimilco Campus. Responsible or co-responsible for projects financed by FOMES and CONACyT.
Participant in various agreements between UAM Xochimilco Campus and IRD of France. The latest joint product is the book: Ecology of the Sontecomapan Lagoon, Veracruz, (Castellanos-Páez M.E., Esquivel-Herrera A., Aldeco-Ramírez J. and Pagano M. Eds.) UAM-Xochimilco Campus and the IRD Editions.

She conducts research on the ecology of zooplankton and aquaculture, with a particular interest in rotifers. Whose results, during the last five years, have been published in six articles in high impact international scientific journals and four book chapters. From 2016 to date, 25 works have been presented in specialized events at the local, national and international levels.

She was Head of the Research Area Development and Management of Aquatic Renewable Natural Resources. Department of Man and his Environment at UAM Xochimilco Campus. 2006 - 2010.
Member of the Resource Review Commission at UAM. 2006 - 2010.
Member of the Research Ethics Committee of the CBS Division of the UAM Xochimilco Campus from April 15, 2016 to June 10, 2019.
Member of the Academic Staff Judging Commission in the Biological Sciences Area from October 2019 to July 2020.
She was the Proprietary Counselor of the Academic Staff of the Department of Man and its Environment on the CBS Divisional Council of the UAM Xochimilco Campus. 2003-2004

She actively participates in the training of human resources at the undergraduate and postgraduate level; she has served on the tutoring committees of five masters and eight doctorate students already completed and four doctorates in process. She was an advisor to 23 Social Service projects, four of them were awarded by the National Association of Universities and Institutions of Higher Education (ANUIES), in their calls for the Award for the Best Experience in Social Service Dr. Ramón Villareal. Two won second place and two won third place.