Professor María Guadalupe Figueroa Torres was born in Mexico City in December 1960, and studied for her Bachelor's, Master's and doctoral degrees (internship) at the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM). Since the creation of the teaching and permanence scholarships at UAM, she has been awarded with them.

In the field of Phycology, she has participated in the writing of scientific articles and book chapters, making compilations on the state of knowledge of certain regions, in addition to making new records for the different study areas. She has put part of the emphasis on the study of harmful algal blooms in the coastal areas of Sontecomapan, Veracruz, and the fluvial-lagoon systems Pom-Atasta and Palizada del Este, Campeche in the Gulf of Mexico and Puerto Interior, Colima; the Inferior and Oriental lagoon, Río Tehuantepec, Arroyo el Zanjón Oaxaca and Baja California coasts, in the Pacific, as well as freshwater bodies such as the Zimapán Dam in the State of Hidalgo and the lakes and canals of Xochimilco, Mexico City and its area of influence. In this last place, he has dedicated his work in recent years, with a focus on integrated watershed management.

She has worked on this type of management by conducting diagnostic studies on the health of the ecosystem, where she found the need to work with the communities on water sanitation, seeking solutions to the problems of grey and black water discharged into the ecosystem from latrines and sinks in many homes, as well as treated water from sewage treatment plants and agrochemicals. Among the solutions she has worked on are the promotion of ecological toilets, water purification through biotechnologies using bacteria, algae, and vascular plants, environmental education to change the use of agrochemicals for agro-ecological systems, etc.

She has also addressed the study of algae with a focus on real and potential uses as food and bioremediator of water quality, and prevention of health risks due to algal toxins.

She has worked on integral ecosystem management and environmental education aspects, focusing his work in a chinampera zone of Xochimilco known as Puente de Urrutia, with the people who live there he has held countless weekly work meetings (until before the pandemic), to improve the site in all its aspects.
At this moment she has approximately 95 publications, including articles and book chapters on the topics mentioned above.