2013 Ph.D. Interdisciplinary Ecology, School of Natural Resources & Environment, University of Florida, USA
2006 M.S. Pharmaceutical Chemistry & Natural Products, Khon Kaen University, Thailand
2000 B.S. Zoology, U. of Florida, USA
2000 B.S. Interdisciplinary Studies, University of Florida, USA – summa cum laude
Since 2017 Principal Consultant, Middle Path EcoSolutions
Since 2016 Research Scholar, Ronin Institute, USA
Since 2014 Courtesy Faculty, Tropical Conservation & Development, Center for Latin American Studies, University of Florida, USA
Previous employment
PREVIOUS
2015 Research Scientist, Center for Resilient Communities, U. of Idaho, Moscow, ID
2013-2016 Scientific Consultant: EarthCube (National Science Foundation program), USA; Wildlife Conservation Society, Manaus, Brazil; Center for International Forestry Research, Bogor, Indonesia
2014 Associate Scientist, National Ecological Observatory Network (NEON) Inc., Boulder, CO
2013 Resident lecturer, The School for Field Studies, Bocas del Toro, Panama
2012 Research assistant, Center for Latin American Studies, University of Florida, USA
1999 Research assistant, Department of Zoology, University of Florida, USA
Working group co-chair of Community Resilience Cluster for Earth Science Information Partners (ESIP) (since 2018)
Webinar series lead: Socioeconomic value of Earth Science data, Earth Science Information Partners (ESIP) webinar series, June-December 2018.
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Working group chair, Social-Ecological Systems Training & Education Program – SESTEP. (2014-2015)
Co-organizer of sessions, plenary, workshops, & conferences:
• Session, 20 Years of Making Data Matter, ESIP meeting, Bethesda, MD, Jan 16 (2019)
• Session, Community Resilience for earth science data institutions and place-based communities ESIP meeting, Bethesda, MD, Jan 15 (2019)
• Session, “Place-based community resilience: The socioeconomic value of Earth Science data”, Federation for Earth Science Information Partners (ESIP) meeting, Bethesda, MD (2018)
• Session on Informatics in Social-Environmental Systems, ESIP winter meeting (2016)
• Plenary and session on Data and Community Resilience, ESIP summer meeting (2015)
• Workshop on Social-Ecological Observatories, Tropical Conservation & Development program, U. Florida, Gainesville, FL (2014)
• Annual meeting of Tropical Conservation & Development, U. Florida, Gainesville, FL (2010) Conference on Working Forests in Tropics, U. Florida, Gainesville, FL (2008)
• Annual meeting of Society for Economic Botany, Chiang Mai, Thailand (2006)
Research associate, USAID linkage program, World Agroforestry Center-Brazil & U. of Florida-USA. Conference, workshop, and research on forest value chains; Belem, Brazil. (2010)
Professional affiliations: American Evaluation Association (since 2017), Colorado Evaluation Network (since 2017), Project Management Institute (since 2014), Elected member of Golden Key National Honor Society (since 2000)
Reviewer: Proposal competitions: Belmont Forum (2015), National Geographic Society (2017); Journals: Sustainability Science; Ethnobotany & Research Applications; Ethnobiology; Medicinal Plants Research; Human Ecology; International J. of Fruit Science; Economic Botany; International Forestry Review; J. of Environmental Management
Extension activities & Outreach: Returned research results to Ngobe communities, Panama (2013) and buriti palm users, Brazil (2013); annual presentations for general public and K-12 students, Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens, Pittsburg, PA (2006-2011).
Council member, student chair, Society for Economic Botany (2005-09)
Selected awards
2014 Mountain Social Ecological Observatory Network, working group, U. Idaho, ($15,000)
2004-12 Botany in Action, Fellowship, Phipps Conservatory, PA, 2004-12 ($21,500)
2010-11 NSF-DDRIG, Decision, Risk and Management Sciences ($14,978)
2007-11 NSF-IGERT, Doctoral Fellowship, Working Forests in the Tropics ($84,000)
2001-03 Fulbright Scholarship, Thailand, Study on homegardens and ethnobotany ($14,000)
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2016-17 Fellow, Research Data Alliance (RDA) Data Share Fellowship program, USA ($15,000)
2012 Assorted travel grants, U. of Florida ($650)
2010 Brazilian Initiation Scholarship, Brazil Studies Association – BRASA ($1,500)
2008 FLAS-Foreign Language and Area Studies, fellowship, US Dept. of Education ($4,925)
2004-05 Center for Research on Plurality in the Mekong Region, Fellowship, Thailand ($1,500)
2004-05 Graduate school & Dept. of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Khon Kaen U., Thailand ($2,100)
2000 Undergraduate Research Scholarship, University Scholar’s Program, USA ($2,500)
1996-2000 Florida Bright Future’s Scholarship, USA. Full scholarship for undergraduate study.
• Transdisciplinary metrics workshop, Belmont Forum, NSF headquarters, Alexandria, VA, June 26-28, 2019.
• Defining ecological and social resilience in fire-prone ecosystems, JFSP-funded workshop, U. of Montana, Missoula, MT, May 11-12, 2017.
• Building Global Ecological Understanding, NSF-funded workshop, U. of Delaware, Newark, DE, June 3-5, 2015.
• Mountain Social-Ecological Observatory Network (MtnSEON), NSF- RCN funded annual workshop, attended as group chair, Cour d’Alene, ID, October 13-14, 2014.
• Mountain Social-Ecological Observatory Network (MtnSEON), NSF- RCN funded, Chico Hot Springs, MT, May 26-28, 2014.
• Sloping Lands Network (SLANT), CIFOR funded workshop to design the strategy and research plan for the network, Bogor, Indonesia, Oct 17-18, 2013.
See here for updated list
ORAL PRESENTATIONS (recent)
2019 Virapongse, A. The Fourth National Climate Assessment: Translating Data to Inform Decisions [Invited Moderator]. In the Earth Science Information Partners webinar series, “Data in Action” (May 17). Youtube.
2019 Virapongse, A. Meaningful Metrics [Invited Panelist]. Boulder Start-up Week (May 13).
2019 Virapongse, A. Making Data Matter: Results from the ESIP community, ESIP meeting, Bethesda, MD, (Jan 16)
2019 Virapongse, A. Community Resilience for earth science data institutions and place-based communities: Introduction. ESIP meeting, Bethesda, MD, (Jan 15)
2018 Virapongse, A., J.F. Wilkins, A. Lancaster. Independent Scholars Survey: Preliminary Results. Ronin Institute for Independent Scholarship, virtual seminar (Feb 1)
2018 Virapongse, A., L. Barbieri, R. Duerr, C. White, B. Wee. Place-based community resilience: The socioeconomic value of Earth Science data, (ESIP) winter meeting (2018), Bethesda, Maryland, USA, (Jan 9).
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2016 L. Barbieri, A. Virapongse, N. Weber. Informatics in Social-Ecological Systems. ESIP winter meeting, Bethesda, Maryland, USA (January 13). http://commons.esipfed.org/node/950
2014 P. Bourgeron, L. Alessa, J. Gosz, D. Griffith, J. Klein, H. Loescher, L. Naggy, A. Virapongse. iLTER Mountain SES Network: The rise of partnerships. iLTER annual meeting. Valdivia, Chile (1-3 December)
2012 Virapongse, A. Linking NTFP value chains and livelihood strategies in Maranhão, Brazil. Society for Economic Botany, Frostburg, Maryland, USA. (June 3).
2012 Virapongse, A, and M. Schmink. Socioeconomic complexity of the buriti value chain in Maranhão, Brazil. Congress of Internat. Soc. of Ethnobiology, Montpellier, France (May 25).
2012 Virapongse, A. The challenge of social diversity in forest product management: A case study of buriti palm stakeholders in Maranhão, Brazil. Southeastern council of Latin American Studies (SECOLAS), University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA. (March 29).
2010 Virapongse, A. An emerging market of buriti handicrafts in Maranhão, Brazil: Identifying market participants and the role of burití in livelihood strategies. World Agroforestry Centre (ICRAF), Belém, PA, Brazil. (July 16). (Presented in Portuguese)
2009 Virapongse. A. Linking practice, use and management of medicinal plants among Kui traditional healers of NE Thailand. Invited speaker, Ethnobotany in the Mekong series, U. Hawaii (Apr. 22)
2007 Virapongse. A. Medicinal plant use by Kui healers. Invited speaker,Phipps Conserv., Pittsburg, PA. (Oct 13).
2006 Virapongse. A. Learning from healers (Northeast Thailand): The use and collection of local plants for healing. Invited speaker, Phipps Conservatory, Pittsburg, PA. (Jan 7).
2005 Virapongse A, C. Picheansoonthon, P. Leucha, and J. Konsil. A study of the traditional medicine of the Kui ethnic group. The 2nd conference of Thai traditional medicine and alternative medicine, Bangkok, Thailand. (August 30)(Presented in Thai)
2005 Virapongse A and C. Picheansoonthon. The sanding medicines: a unique method of herbal preparation among Kui traditional healers (Northeast Thailand). Society for Economic Botany annual meeting, Fort Worth, Texas, USA. (June 7)
2004 Virapongse A and C. Picheansoonthon. A Traditional Medicine System of Kui Community in NE Thailand. Intern’l Congress on Traditional Medicine and Materia Medica, Tehran, Iran. (Oct. 7)
POSTER PRESENTATIONS
2016 Virapongse, A. & E. C. Metcalf. Identifying data challenges of community resilience: Understanding the resilience context. International Data Week, Denver, CO (Sep. 14-17).
2014 Virapongse, A., H. Loescher, L. Powers. National Ecological Observatory Network (NEON): Building community and seeking innovative approaches for understanding human-environmental systems. Joint annual conference for Society for Economic Botany and Society for Ethnobiology. Cherokee, NC. (May 14)
2011 Virapongse, A. Understanding participation in a forest-based market in Maranhão, Brazil. NSF Research day, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL. (October 25).
2009 Virapongse, A. The impact of the Kui traditional healer system on natural resources (Thailand). Society for Economic Botany conference, Charleston, SC. (May 31-Jun 4).
2008 Duchelle, A., K. Biedenweg, C. Lucas, J. Radachowsky, D. Wojcik, M. Londres, D. Alvira, W.L. Bartels, A. Virapongse, K. Kainer. Building capacity for tropical biology and conservation as graduate students build their own. Working Forests in the Tropics, Gainesville, FL. (Oct 6-7).
2006 Virapongse A. Ethnomedicine of the Kui. Contributed poster, Society for Economic Botany, Chiang Mai, Thailand. (June 5-9). (Morton Award for Best poster, Written in Thai & English)
2005 Virapongse A., C. Picheansoonthon, P. Leucha, J Konsil. Medicinal plant use by Kui traditional healers (Northeast Thailand). Conference of 25th year of Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Khon Kaen University, Khon Kaen, Thailand. (Dec. 1-2) (Presented in Thai)
DEPARTMENTAL OR WORKSHOP PRESENTATIONS
2015 Virapongse, A., H. Loescher, T.M. Bennett. Broader impacts of NEON. Presentation for Director of NSF (Cordova), NEON, Boulder, CO (Feb 19)
2014 SESTEP Working Group. Social Ecological Systems Training and Education program (SESTEP). MtnSEON Annual Meeting, Coeur d’Alene, ID (Oct 16)
2014 Virapongse, A., M. Altaweel, D. Griffith, L. Alessa. Constructing SES Typologies for Mountain Landscapes: The Challenges. MtnSEON Annual Meeting, Coeur d’Alene, ID (Oct 16)
2014 Virapongse, A., H. Loecher. Emergent continental environmental observatories and the new role of scientists. Dynamic biology of forest fragmentation lecture series, National Institute of Amazonian Research, Manaus, Brazil (Aug 29)(Presented in Portuguese)
2014 Virapongse, A. & M. Hallett. What is a social-ecological observatory? TCD-NEON workshop, University of Florida, USA (April 23)
2013 Virapongse, A. The effect of value chains and resource access on use and sustainability of buriti (Mauritia flexuosa) palm resources in Barreirinhas-MA. Dynamic biology of forest fragmentation lecture series, National Institute of Amazonian Research, Manaus, Brazil (Aug 29)(Presented in Portuguese)
2013 Virapongse, A. Accessing forest resources to participate in buriti palm (Mauritia flexuosa) fiber markets in Maranhão, Brazil. Exit seminar, School of Natural Resources and Environment, University of Florida, USA. (Jan 22)
2007 Virapongse, A. Ethnomedicine of the Kui (Thailand): Use of natural resources for medicines and decision making by traditional healers. Tropilunch presentation, University of Florida, USA. (Nov 20)
2014 Project Management Professional (PMP), Project Management Institute, License #1776960
2014 Sustainable Community Develop. – Political Empowerment, Village Earth, Fort Collins, CO
2014 Authentic Leadership, Naropa University, Boulder, CO
2014 Santa Fe Science Writing Workshop – Science Communication & Journalism, Santa Fe, NM
2013 Tropical Conservation and Development, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL
2007 Forest Mgmt Decision-making for Reduced Impact, Tropical Forest Institute, Belem, Brazil
Social-ecological systems approaches to environmental management (2015) for U.S. land managers, co-developing a 3-month certificate program, U. Montana, Missoula, MT, USA; Successful fund raising for first course at $32,000.
Field methods for Socioeconomic Monitoring (2013, 2014) for Brazilian Amazonian protected area managers; co-developed and co-taught the 6-day course for Wildlife Conservation Society, Manaus, Brazil
Environmental Policy and Socioeconomic Values (2013) for U.S. undergraduates, developed and taught the 3-month course at The School for Field Studies, Bocas del Toro, Panama
The Amazon (2009) for UF graduate students, teaching assistant for Dr. Marianne Schmink, Center for Latin American Studies, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL
English language: native
Portuguese language: speaking– advanced; reading–advanced; writing-basic
Thai language: speaking–advanced; reading–basic; writing-none
Spanish language: speaking–conversational; reading–advanced; writing-basic