Welcome to the Project Team

Alex Markham - USA Liaison Officer

From the day of my birth in Nairobi, Kenya, it seemed adventure was "in my stars". Before I could fully appreciate such wonders, I had already played host to the mighty lions of the Maasai Mara, and toured the length of Lake Malawi—its endemic fish species perhaps my earliest inspiration toward ichthyology! Unfortunately, while still donning the diapers, I was whisked away from Africa to England, then to California where my family settled.

My first experience of Peru came in the summer of 2005, conducting research on rainforest stream fish while serving as a Resident Naturalist at the Explorer's Inn lodge on the Tambopata River.  Inspired by this trip, I decided to declare the Earth Systems major upon my return to Stanford in order to attain the inter-disciplinary skill-set necessary to deal with the complex conservation issues I witnessed in Peru. I then returned to Peru the next summer, to study the nuances of the ornamental fish trade as a form of sustainable land use, taking elements from the trade in Iquitos and applying them to the context of Madre de Dios.

Though my time in Peru has been limited, Stanford has afforded me the opportunity to conduct personal research in Australia, Malaysia, Borneo, Mexico, and southern Africa. These precious experiences have left me more motivated than ever to continue pursuing my Masters degree at Stanford in Environmental Business and Law, hopefully with law school to follow. 

I like Nutella, The Economist, and ultimate frisbee!   

Ever since I can remember, I've been interested in wildlife. As a child I used to watch the Kratt brother's "Zoboomafoo" and "Be the Creature" wildlife shows. I always dreamt of doing what they did and go into the jungle to find and observe the behaviour of these creatures in the wild.

Then, finally, in grade 8, I took my first life-changing trip to Peru. I visited the jungle in Iquitos and fell in love. Unfortunately, it took another six years before I went back to Peru to visit the jungle again, this time in Tambopata, Madre de Dios. My father, brother and I booked the longest tour possible, but this obviously wasn't enough to satisfy me. So, the year after, I returned to the same location for 5 weeks, this time as a volunteer. Once again, I came back home unsatisfied. The time I spent there was far too short for me to experience everything the jungle had to offer. So, as you must have guessed… I went back again, the following year!

That was this past summer of 2007 when I spent my entire vacation (a lucky three and a half months) in Tambopata. Now, I've come to realize that it will be almost impossible for me to spend a year without at least some time in the jungle to recharge! 

I like chocolate, baking, and life.