Joe Figel is a postdoctoral research associate in the Department of Conservation and Research at the Memphis Zoo, his current US base for coordinating collaborative tiger conservation activities in Sumatra, Indonesia. Before the COVID-19 interruption, Joe’s previous Fulbright US Scholar fellowship (2019-2020) was primarily based on the planning and implementation of forest expeditions and ranger patrols, which resulted in the identification of 11 Sumatran tigers and the removal of 42 snare traps. In 2024, he continues tiger conservation activities in collaboration with Aceh-based partners such as Universitas Gajah Putih, Leuser International Foundation, DLHK, and BKSDA.

Joe received graduate degrees from the University of Central Florida, a PhD in conservation biology, and Florida International University in environmental studies after completing undergraduate studies at the University of Washington in wildlife conservation). His academic path started at Bellevue Community College, where he received an AAS degree. Joe has studied wild felids in National Parks, Forest Reserves, and Community Protected Areas across three continents, including some of the planet’s most biodiverse regions (e.g., the Amazon Rainforest and Batang Gadis National Park in North Sumatra). Based on this research, he has authored 24 publications – which included contributions from 40 distinct co-authors representing six countries – in journals such as Biological Conservation, Wildlife Letters, Ambio, Tropical Conservation Science, and the Public Library of Science (PLoS ONE).