As a US Fulbright Scholar, Joe Figel is joining Indonesian scientists in an effort to assess the status of the Sumatran tiger (Panthera tigris sumatrae) population in Aceh’s Ulu Masen ecosystem.  In partnership with Universitas Syiah Kuala in Banda Aceh, he is also investigating site-specific determinants of human-tiger conflict and researches subsequent mitigation strategies to reduce tiger poaching.  Through the exchange of ideas and donation of research equipment, Joe hopes to contribute to a foundation for sustained research on Sumatran tigers, led by Acehnese scientists.

Joe is a 2017 graduate of the conservation biology PhD Program at the University of Central Florida. He received an MSc in environmental studies from Florida International University and a BSc in wildlife conservation from the University of Washington.  During his graduate studies, Joe studied jaguars (Panthera onca) in Latin America, collaborating and co-publishing with colleagues from Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, and Colombia.  In 2013 he received a Fulbright US Student Award for his research on jaguars in Colombia.