About
Francine Barchett is an internationally recognized graduate student, researcher, and science communicator. As a Cornell PhD student in Natural Resources & the Environment, she probes the intersections of conservation, community wellbeing, and sustainable enterprise in Southern Africa. And as host of the 5-season Gatty Rewind Podcast, she interviews the world’s leading scholars and novelists who focus in, on, and around Southeast Asia.
Francine has earned 2 degrees from Cornell: a B.S. in International Agriculture & Rural Development (2019) and M.P.S in Global Development (2021). Her projects, studies, and travels have led her across 25 countries, from Kenyan livestock insurance program evaluation to Malaysian Penan indigenous rights research. From reporting the health outcomes of India’s national sanitation campaigns, she was conferred the World Food Prize Szymoniak Award and Rawlings Presidential Research Fellowship.
Staying international, Francine has received 3 US Department of Education Foreign Language & Area Studies Fellowships as well as the Department of State’s Critical Language Scholarship. A sweet moment for her was winning the Bahasa Indonesia Language Speech Competition for America, hosted by the Indonesian Government. Why? She got to meet President Widodo...and celebrated Independence Day at his palace!
Francine’s current research revolves around the human dimensions of the hunting industry in Africa, where she holds simultaneous affiliations at the IUCN Sustainable Use & Livelihoods Specialist Group and African Wildlife Economy Institute at Stellenbosch University, South Africa.
When not traveling, Francine has remained active in the Cornell community. She co-founded the first-of-its kind Cornell Faith & Environment Collective, dedicated to cultivating environmental concern among Christians. Within New York State, she authored a healthcare journal article that became the basis for a law making menstrual hygiene products free-of-charge in all New York prisons. However, her most rewarding experience has been mentoring high schoolers interested in food security and agricultural topics as the World Food Prize New York Youth Institute’s associate.
In her leisure time, Francine enjoys playing accordion, is an elite runner competing in distances between 5 kilometers and 50 miles, and tries spicier foods than she thinks she can handle!
Advisor: Keith Tidball
Expected Graduation Date: 2025
