The anthropology research that Dr. Wendy-Lin Bartels conducts is driven by her motivation to understand how and why people cross boundaries, build relationships and collaborate. For the past 14 years she has led studies and professional development opportunities related to community engagement, scientist-stakeholder networks, and inter-agency partnerships. Currently, Dr. Bartels holds a faculty position with UF’s School of Forest Resources and Conservation.  Furthermore, she is on the Project Team for the Florida Natural Resources Leadership Institute.

Dr. Bartels is especially interested in rural development, family farming, and the convening role universities can play to facilitate knowledge exchange among diverse stakeholder groups.  She has worked on several domestic and international climate-and-adaptation projects with multi-disciplinary teams of climate, crop, forestry, and hydrological modelers in their efforts to make research products more relevant to society (e.g. AgMIP, PINEMAP, Southeast Climate & Extension).  Within this context, she examines the participatory methods and institutional arrangements that can help scientists to link more effectively with practitioners, bridge society-academia divides, and expand understandings.  

Wendy-Lin has a PhD in interdisciplinary ecology with a concentration in tropical conservation and development, a Master's in science communication, and Bachelor of Science in botany and molecular genetics. She has worked internationally in Africa, S. Asia and Latin America.  In the Brazilian Amazon, she explored a multi-stakeholder land-use planning process that encourages small-scale producers to implement sustainable practices that provide environmental services.  She continues to work with collaborators in Brazil on a resilient family farming project that aims to connect universities, NGOs and communities to foster relevant, problem-driven science that is linked to practice.

Application Sectors

• Agriculture
• Coastal Ecosystems

Specialty

• Anthropology