John N. Williams, Ph.D.
Co-Founder, Managing Director
John Williams is an ecologist and researcher at the University of California, Davis, and serves as PAE’s Chief Scientific Officer. His work focuses on the nexus of humans and natural systems, where he uses an ecological framework to examine topics related to biodiversity, conservation, ecosystem services, the interface between agriculture and natural habitat, and human demographics. His recent work looks at ways to assess and conserve biodiversity in working landscapes, including vineyards, rangelands, coffee plantations, and community forest reserves in both temperate and tropical landscapes. John is also a visiting scholar at the Gifford Center for Population Studies at UC Davis, and recently completed a study on human population growth in the biodiversity hotspots. Previously, John worked for Conservation International, where he directed their Population and Environment Program. He has also worked as an environmental consultant on forestry issues in Latin America and served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Morocco.
John received his Ph.D. from UC Davis, where his research focused on the patterns of tree diversity in the tropical dry forests of Mexico. He holds master’s degrees in environmental management and public policy from Duke University and a bachelor’s degree in biology from Colorado College. He speaks English (native), as well as French (fluent) and Spanish (fluent).