Jeffrey R. Smith PhD
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As a biogeographer, my research focuses on understanding the present-day patterns of biodiversity and developing models to forecast the potential future of species in a changing world. I approach these issues from two, complementary directions. I often use large databases of biodiversity to create global or national models of biodiversity. However, I combine this approach with field studies, which use natural experiments to test finer scale variation in biodiversity in response to gradients of climate and land use. I seek to develop mathematical and statistical models which allow us to leverage the strengths of both global and local approaches to inform scientifically robust conservation. I also work extensively with teams of interdisciplinary researchers, governments, and NGOs to help develop policy recommendations that guide sustainable development decisions to ensure that landscapes work for both people and nature.
I am a currently an Associate Research Scholar in the High Meadows Environmental Institute. I earned my PhD from Stanford University where I worked with the Stanford Center for Conservation Biology and the Natural Capital Project. |
