*Note posted December 3, 2025: Our study areas in Sumatra were hammered by catastrophic flooding and landslides caused by Cyclone Senyar in late November 2025. All indications point to a long road of recovery ahead. If you’re able, please consider donating to support the rangers and their families as they work to get back on their feet after this devastating disaster. For those locally in Sumatra, here is another option to donate:
My work focuses on the study and protection of threatened species and ecosystems, mainly in the equatorial tropics (e.g. Colombia, Sumatra). Study results, collected in collaboration with 40+ co-authors from 6 countries, are published in Frontiers, Scientific Reports, Ursus, Biological Conservation, Wildlife Letters, Ambio, PLoS ONE, and several other journals.
After 9 years of research on jaguars, I received graduate degrees from the University of Central Florida (Ph.D., Conservation Biology) and Florida International University (M.Sc., Environmental Studies). As a Fulbright U.S. Scholar, I completed postdoctoral research on Sumatran tigers in Aceh, Indonesia with support from Universitas Syiah Kuala, Universitas Gajah Putih, and several Indonesian government agencies including DLHK and BKSDA. This work now continues with Hutan Harimau (Tiger Forests) and a network of rangers from the Gayo Highlands of Aceh. My B.Sc. degree in Wildlife Conservation from the University of Washington was based on a population assessment of ocelots in the Amazon rainforest.
Joe Figel 