TDARFAC Launch Party
Antananarivo, Madagascar
About Me
I am a primate behavioral ecologist and the Founder and Executive Director of The Dr. Abigail Ross Foundation for Applied Conservation (TDARFAC). My lifelong passion for nature became a career path during my first year of college, when I chaperoned a high school biology trip to the Galápagos Islands. I earned a B.A. in Anthropology from the University of Wisconsin–Madison, an M.A. in Biological Anthropology from Northern Illinois University, and a Ph.D. in Evolutionary Anthropology from the University of Toronto.
Previously, my research focused on maternal-infant relationships in an Endangered lemur, Coquerel’s sifaka (Propithecus coquereli), which lives in Ankarafantsika National Park in northwestern Madagascar. I studied the relationship between mothers and their infants by examining hormonal stress responses and the nutritional quality of foods during lactation.
Understanding maternal-infant relationships is essential for the conservation of primates. These relationships are the foundation of infant survival and future reproductive success—and, by extension, species survival. Despite their importance, they’ve often been overlooked in evolutionary anthropology. Maternal care plays a decisive role in shaping evolutionary outcomes, particularly in species with slow life histories, like all Propithecus lemurs. My research aims to highlight the interdependence of maternal energetics, infant care, and developmental outcomes while contributing to our understanding of how these dynamics play out in seasonal environments. The stakes are high: without healthy infants that survive to reproduce, entire species risk extinction. These insights have deep implications for long-term conservation.
I currently serve as a Courtesy Research Associate Scientist at the University of Florida–Gainesville. I’m also the Director of Collaborative Outreach for the Mad Dog Initiative and serve on the Board of Directors for Planet Madagascar.
In addition to my academic and conservation work, I’m a Principal of J.L. Woode Ltd. and serve on the company’s operating board, where I help guide long-term strategic planning.
I’ve contributed to conservation initiatives across Bolivia, Costa Rica, Equatorial Guinea, Madagascar, and South Africa. Mentoring Malagasy graduate students has been one of the most meaningful aspects of my career. It was their dedication and potential that inspired me to found TDARFAC—and that continue to drive my commitment to advancing conservation through collaboration, education, and action.
Coquerel’s Sifaka Mom With Five-Month Old Infant in Ankarafantsika National Park, Madagascar
"The more clearly we can focus our attention on the wonders and realities of the universe about us, the less taste we shall have for destruction."
~ Rachel Carson
Silverback With Juvenile Mountain Gorilla in Volcanoes National Park, Rwanda
“Anthropology demands the open-mindedness with which one must look and listen, record in astonishment, and wonder that which one would not have been able to guess.”