Joshua Tewksbury is the Ira Rubinoff Director of the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute (STRI), based in Panama City with research sites worldwide, where he leads more than 400 employees. Advancing scientific understanding of tropical biodiversity and its importance to humanity, STRI’s facilities support about 1,400 visiting scientists, fellows, and interns each year. 

Tewksbury is an ecologist with more than 20 years of research experience and extensive leadership roles at major international organizations, including Future Earth and the Luc Hoffman Institute. In addition to leading research institutions, Tewksbury co-founded the Earth Leadership Program and serves as executive editor of Anthropocene magazine. He holds faculty appointments at several U.S. universities and contributes to the National Academy of Sciences through its Board on Environmental Studies and Toxicology. Over his career, he has published more than 85 scientific papers on conservation, climate change, and natural history. He earned his bachelor's degree from Prescott College and his doctorate in organismal biology and ecology from the University of Montana.