Anjali Kumar, Phd Email & Phone Number

San Francisco, Ca, Us

San Francisco Bay Area

We blend scientific research with nature-based practices to foster reconnection with self, others, and the natural world, promoting environmental stewardship, healthier communities, mindful living, and equitable access to nature.

As the Latin America wildlife crime data specialist, I contributed to the collection of relevant data for the CITES Annual Illegal Trade Report and the WorldWISE database for use by the CITES Secretariat and the UNODC World Wildlife Crime Report more generally. I conducted a gap analysis to identify where data do and do not exist for understanding wildlife crime trends in the region, and then gathered the data from multiple sources including government authorities and NGOs in the region.

As a natural resources officer in international development I work designing programs and activities on topics around biodiversity conservation in the Amazon region, focusing on six countries. We strive to design and fund activities that are intersectional, providing support to both biodiversity conservation and community development. I lead a variety of different regional activities including those focused on wildlife trafficking, artisanal gold mining, grand challenges, cultural and biodiversity education, behavioral change campaigns, advocacy, and effective science communication. The projects are designed to engage a variety of colleagues and stakeholders including those from USAID bilateral Missions, interagency, the private sector, civil society, Indigenous peoples, NGOs, and local, regional, and international entities of governments.

As the lead of the Scientist & Analyst Group at the Union of Concerned Scientists I work with staff scientists and analysts to increase their effectiveness as changemakers at UCS. I am helping break silos to strategically increase knowledge sharing across scientific programs. I am also creating and offering opportunities for professional development and training to augment the reach and potential of scientists and analysts in using research and data for change and policy making. In this position I am responsible for managing staff.

Washington D.C. Metro Area

As a Democracy Fellow in Biodiversity Research I sit at USAID and work directly with USAID Washington, USAID Mission staff, scientists across the globe, NGOs, private companies, and other stakeholders to understand and communicate the links between biodiversity and human health and livelihoods, democracy, and governance.

Washington D.C. Metro Area

Usaid, Washington, Dc

As a project manager & research advisor for the Latin America and the Caribbean and Middle East regions I manage a portfolio of 80 research projects of basic and applied science from a wide variety of sectors. In this position I work in a team and independently and communicate with people from government, the private sector, NGOs, academic institutions, and overseas field Missions. I have organized several successful overseas workshops and meetings with the participation of multiple federal agencies and stakeholders. I produce reports and documents for technical and non-technical audiences and regularly communicate the importance of science and research for development in several different mediums.

I worked for 6 weeks each summer in a leadership position in the development and implementation of interdisciplinary undergraduate summer abroad programs emphasizing application of the scientific method to short field projects throughout Costa Rica. I was able to advise >150 students about research project design, statistical analysis, manuscript writing, science communication, and post-graduate support. I also managed invited faculty and staff members and facilitated communication between US and Costa Rican based academic institutions.

Engage in non-profit institute’s mission to conduct research and expand conservation initiatives to understand how environmental contaminants impact ecosystems and human health. I worked in Acadia National Park with a collaborative team of biologists from NGOs, private sector and the National Park Service to monitor federally endangered bats species.

I was awarded, along with three other members of my team, a reporting prize to cover "The Social and Environmental Impacts of Foreign Development Finance in the Western Amazon." We produced high-impact popular articles based on key questions related to the issue of hydroelectric dams in the Andean Amazon around four main topics: (1) Social and ecological impacts of building major dams on the Andean tributaries of the Amazon River; (2) Policy recommendations and best practice guidelines to minimize impacts; (3) Role of foreign finance in dam construction; and (4) Society organization and response to increasing threats from dam construction. I was a co-writer for four of the articles and served as a researcher for the other four.

Cambridge, Ma

Interdisciplinary teaching and research position. One year teaching general biology, ecology and evolution at MIT and at the Singapore University of Technology and Design. One year of research in Peruvian Amazon with associated analyses at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute. Research was focused on methylmercury toxicity in different feeding guilds of Amazonian bats due to artisanal gold mining. Technical expertise in field collection and laboratory skills for mercury levels and other toxins. I established collaborations with Peruvian NGOs and universities, Malaysian and Singaporean universities, and natural history museums and research centers in the USA. During my time in Peru I held an advisory role on a tropical ecology course on wildlife conservation and management of tropical ecosystems and protected areas in Perú with San Diego Zoo Global and the Wallace Research Foundation.

Doctor Of Philosophy (Ph.D.), Animal Behavior, Ecology, And Conservation Biology Policy

Bachelor’S Degree, Ecology, Behavior And Evolution