Dr. Sandy Andelman is a conservation scientist, with over 30 years of experience designing and implementing local- to global-scale initiatives at the intersection of science, policy and practice across Africa, Asia, Latin America and the United States.
Her research has focused on understanding the effectiveness of protected areas in the face of climate change, particularly in tropical forests. She also has developed a range of tools and approaches for improving conservation and development decisions. She has published widely in the field of conservation biology, including on biodiversity monitoring systems, systematic conservation planning, ecological informatics, the connections between nature conservation and food security, and on climate change and protected areas.
Until recently, Dr. Andelman was Vice President, Conservation Strategy and Partnerships at the Wildlife Conservation Society. Previously she also was President and CEO of the Organization for Tropical Studies, Chief Scientist and Senior Vice President of Conservation International (CI) and Deputy Director of the U.S. National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis.
She also has served as board member and advisor for numerous national and international organizations, including for the Legacy Landscapes Fund, the JRS Biodiversity Foundation, the US National Science Foundation, the European Research Council, the German Research Foundation and the Chilean National Commission for Scientific and Technological Research. She was a World Economic Forum (WEF) Transformation Leader and a member of the WEF Global Agenda Council for Food Security.
Dr. Andelman received her doctorate from the University of Washington in behavioral ecology for work on primates in East Africa and a bachelor’s degree in biology from Lewis and Clark College.
