John Francis, Vice
President for Research, Conservation, and Exploration
National Geographic Society
Dr.
John Francis serves as Vice President for Research, Conservation, and Exploration
at the National Geographic Society, directing funding of these disciplines
through the Committee for Research and Exploration, the Conservation Trust, and
the Expeditions Council. Francis also oversees the Society’s Center for
Sustainable Destinations and the Remote Imaging laboratory.Francis’s
professional career is rooted in wildlife biology and a deep belief in the
importance of conservation. He has fashioned his interests and expertise into
highly successful turns as a scientist, wildlife filmmaker, and current leader
of the Society’s storied research and exploration arm.
John
received his Ph.D. from the University of California, Santa Cruz , and spent
five years as a postdoctoral fellow and research associate at the Smithsonian Institution.He is a seasoned field biologist; whose
research has taken him to such far-flung places as Australia, Canada, Mexico,
Chile, New Zealand, Hawaii, California, Alaska, and Argentina.