Dr. Francisco Santiago-Ávila is an interdisciplinary scientist and animal advocate.
In addition to serving as Washington Wildlife First’s science and advocacy director, Fran is a founding member, board clerk, and fellow at PANWorks, an ethics and policy center dedicated to animal wellbeing.
Fran holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Puerto Rico – Río Piedras, where he studied political science and economics, after which he earned master’s degrees in public policy and environmental management from Duke University. He received his Ph.D. in environmental and resources from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where he also served as an associate lecturer and as a postdoctoral research associate at the school’s Carnivore Coexistence Lab. Most recently, he served as the Science & Ethics Manager at Project Coyote.
Fran’s research and advocacy focuses on the convergence of science, ethics, and policy to protect wildlife, and the promotion of worldviews rooted in care and justice towards all animals. He has published more than three dozen scientific papers on a wide range of topics, including the efficacy of killing wolves to prevent livestock predation, the dynamics of wolf poaching, human-wildlife coexistence, the role of the public trust doctrine in wildlife management, and environmental and conservation ethics.
Raised in a Catholic family in Puerto Rico, Fran learned the importance of showing compassion to the less fortunate and being a voice for the marginalized. As a child, Fran wanted to become a priest, and later in life considered other pathways to allow him to advance these fundamental values, such as serving as a lawyer, social justice advocate, or legislator. When his interests turned to wildlife and environmental science, Fran sought a career that would enable him to embrace his dual passion for science and advocacy.
Fran lives in Tacoma with his wife; dogs Ninja, Leeloo, and Lolly; cats Linus, Alan, and Watts; and chickens Bonnibel, Marceline, and Susan.
