TJ Francisco

I am broadly interested in land use change in tropical forests and the associated consequences for biodiversity and ecosystem processes. For my undergraduate thesis, advised by Dr. Dirzo, I am investigating the effects of strategic cattle grazing, aimed at revitalizing native vegetation, on insect diversity. For my MS, I am investigating how biological enrichment of smallholder palm oil farms affects reptile and amphibian diversity in Costa Rica. I work part-time for Instituto Socioambiental in the Brazilian Amazon and TA undergraduate courses in Stanford’s Earth Systems program. I strive to gain further experience working with environmental organizations, conducting field and lab research, teaching, and integrating with dynamic teams to strategize and actualize innovative, inclusive conservation and restoration initiatives.

I am pursuing PhD opportunities to conduct interdisciplinary research focusing on neotropical conservation biology and socioenvironmental well-being, hopefully incorporating some herpetology too.

tj74@stanford.edu