Sylvia Adisa
MDP student in the Sustainable Development Practice program, Centre for African Studies and Center for Latin American Studies, University of Florida; B.Sc. in Project Planning and Management (PPM) from Moi University in Kenya.
In her academic journey, Sylvia is actively engaged in earning graduate certificates in the areas of Sustainable Development Practice (SDP), Tropical Conservation and Development (TCD), and Gender and Development.
Under the guidance of Dr. Renata Serra, Sylvia’s ongoing research centers on investigating the gendered roles of individuals in fisheries within the western Indian Ocean (WIO) region. Her thesis work is concentrated on evaluating women’s contributions to the production of blue foods in the Western Indian Ocean. This involves a specific case study that examines artisanal billfish fisheries along the Kenyan coastline. The aim of her research is to provide insights that can aid in the effective management and sustainability of these fisheries.
Sylvia’s commitment to environmental causes spans over a decade, during which she has been actively involved in environmental restoration programs. She has demonstrated her dedication by involving young individuals to partake in environmental conservation efforts. Additionally, Sylvia has taken the lead in initiating fundraising campaigns, fostering robust networks within the sectors of community development and conservation in western Kenya.
In her previous roles, Sylvia served as a data manager, focusing on community development and sustainability issues. Her responsibilities centered around skillfully managing and utilizing data to implement appropriate interventions aimed at enhancing the quality of life for vulnerable communities throughout Kenya.
Ana María Garrido Corredor
Ph.D. student in the Anthropology Department, University of Florida; M.Sc. in Environmental Anthropology at the University of Kent, United Kingdom; B.A. in Anthropology and B.Sc. in Biology from Universidad de Los Andes, Bogotá, Colombia.
Ana María is working towards a TCD graduate certificate and a Ph.D. in Anthropology student under advisement of Dr. Catherine Tucker. For the past eight years, she has been working on various projects concerning socio-environmental conflicts, resource governance, and community-based conservation. Her research has focused on understanding the impacts of extractive economies, particularly gold mining, on the livelihoods of afro-descendant communities inhabiting the Pacific Region of Colombia. Additionally, during the last three years, she has been working in the Science-Policy interface in Colombia, designing and implementing environmental policies to strengthen local initiatives for the sustainable management of natural resources. From these experiences, she developed her current research interests, which focus on understanding how global conservation agendas, coupled with national and international economic processes, intersect with the everyday politics of resource management and use and shape the cultural and symbolic meaning of human-forest interactions.
Ana María is interested in conducting interdisciplinary research, combining qualitative methods such as participant observation and interviews, and methodologies of economic botany, mainly ethnobotanical inventories, as complementary ways of understanding the relationship between plants and people in agroforest landscapes.
Susana Ruiz Diaz (coming soon…)
PhD in the School of Forest, Fisheries and Geomatics Sciences
Wania Grangeiro (coming soon …)
PhD in Geography at the University of Florida
Sydney Khantavong
Master of Sustainable Development Practice (MDP) at University of Florida;BS in International Studies, U of Florida; Minor in Sustainability Studies, U of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA
Sydney began her college experience focusing on international studies and business administration. Inspired by her upbringing of being raised with family business, she desired to hone in on her own knowledge and experience within the importance of small business. At the University of Florida, she was inspired by the university’s stress on sustainable efforts and decided to shift gears in her major, long-term career goals, and purpose in life.
During Sydney’s undergrad, she was involved with social movements that focused on human rights. She actively participated in national protests in order to raise awareness and advocate for the oppressed. Additionally, she interned at a local nonprofit that redefines foreign aid through education reform in Haiti. This internship allowed Sydney to engage with individuals from interdisciplinary backgrounds and become introduced to program coordination.
She currently works as the Global Partnerships Coordinator at a nonprofit focusing on the transition from surviving to thriving of orphans and vulnerable children. She engages with the nonprofit’s NGO partners and builds connections across the globe for collaborative projects. Sydney works alongside the Program Director and Director of Global Partnerships to coordinate projects and maintain partners’ logistics through CRM software. She strives to continue to build upon this skillset and serve as a project manager for an NGO with substantial sustainable change in the future.
Andrés E. León-Reyes
Ph.D. candidate in Forest Resources and Conservation at the School of Forest, Fisheries, and Geomatics Sciences, University of Florida. He holds an M.S. in Biodiversity Conservation from the Universidad Internacional Menéndez Pelayo (Spain) and a B.S. in Applied Ecology from Universidad San Francisco de Quito (Ecuador).
He is currently pursuing a graduate certificate in Tropical Conservation and Development (TCD) and is advised by Dr. Taylor Stein. His academic background integrates wildlife ecology, human dimensions, and conservation science. As an applied wildlife ecologist and dedicated naturalist, his work focuses on biodiversity conservation, tropical ecology, and human–wildlife interactions. His doctoral research explores the influence of digital platforms and social media on ecotourism practices, with an emphasis on birdwatchers and bird photographers in both Alachua County, Florida, and regions of Ecuador.
In addition to his doctoral research, Andrés serves as a full-time faculty member at Universidad San Francisco de Quito, COCIBA, where he teaches courses on Ecuador’s ecology and biodiversity. His work connects academic research and teaching, contributing to a deeper understanding of how people engage with nature through wildlife tourism and digital media. Through his research and instruction, he aims to inform conservation strategies and promote broader public awareness of tropical ecosystems and their wildlife.
Viviana Rojas
Ph.D. Candidate at the Wildlife Ecology and Conservation Department; MSc in Interdisciplinary Ecology, School of Natural Resources and Environment and B.Sc. in Biology from the Universidad Nacional de Asuncion, Paraguay.
Viviana (Vivi) is a biologist from Paraguay who graduated from the Universidad Nacional de Asunción. Vivi was awarded with the Fulbright scholarship to pursue a Master’s degree in the Molecular Ecology Lab at University of Florida working with Dr James Austin. Her Masters research focused on small mammal (rodent) dispersal in sub-saharan Africa, where she worked in Swaziland at the Savannah Research Centre. Vivi returned to her country and worked in several conservation projects led by a national NGO and soon after she became the Species Conservation Program Coordinator. Now, she is pursuing her PhD in Wildlife Ecology and Conservation with a concentration in Tropical Conservation and Development. She is now looking forward to incorporating more interdisciplinary approaches to link her research to conservation practice and decision making.
She works in protected areas of the Paraguayan Chaco Forest, a deforestation hot spot, looking to better understand medium and large mammal communities and how they respond to the current anthropogenic threats.
Henrique Shirai
Ph.D. student at the School of Forest, Fisheries, and Geomatics Sciences, University of Florida; Professional Master’s degree in Biodiversity Conservation and Sustainable Development at the School of Environmental Conservation and Sustainability (ESCAS), Brazil; bachelor’s degree in environmental engineering at the University of Sao Paulo (USP), Brazil.
Henrique’s interests include participatory mapping, conservation planning, and stakeholder engagement. Over the past eight years, he gained extensive experience in various conservation projects, leveraging his background in Geographic Information System (GIS). This expertise enabled him to contribute to initiatives across diverse Brazilian biomes, including the Atlantic Forest, Pantanal, and Amazon. His projects have focused on biodiversity area prioritization, REDD+, restoration planning, and proposals to establish protected areas. Throughout these projects, he has collaborated with a wide range of stakeholders such as the Brazilian Environmental Ministry, state environmental secretaries, NGOs, private companies, and landowners.
Under the guidance of Dr. Denis Valle, Henrique is pursuing a TCD graduate certificate and a Ph.D. in Forest Resources and Conservation at the University of Florida. He aims to deepen the understanding of how interactive applications affect stakeholder engagement. Focused on bridging stakeholders’ involvement with effective environmental conservation strategies, he is developing interactive mapping apps that promote data transparency, accessibility, and collaborative efforts. These apps are designed to facilitate engagement and support informed decision-making processes. By using facilitation methods in his applied research, Henrique seeks to ensure that users influence the development of these tailored applications and benefit from them. Ultimately, his work aims to foster practices that involve and support local stakeholders.