Shersingh Joseph Tumber-Dávila is a PhD candidate in environmental Earth system science with a master’s degree in Earth system science at Stanford. His research focuses on unearthing the dynamics governing the architecture of plant root systems. Joseph’s research approaches plant root systems through three unique avenues: 1) creating the largest database of plant root system size and shape; 2) Developing a novel plant image analysis software to determine the volumetric allometry of plant growth above- and below-ground; 3) using stable isotopes to understand plant resource uptake strategies under resource limitation and competition. Joseph’s graduate work is supported by the National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship Program (NSF-GRFP), the Ford Foundation Predoctoral Fellowship from the National Academy of Sciences, and the Enhancing Diversity in Graduate Education (EDGE) Fellowship from Stanford University.

Prior to attending Stanford, Joseph earned his bachelor’s degree from the University of New Hampshire (UNH) in environmental conservation and sustainability with a focus in terrestrial tcology and a minor in forestry. While at UNH, Joseph conducted research in the Terrestrial Ecosystems Analysis Laboratory with support from the Ronald E. McNair Post-baccalaureate Achievement Program. Joseph was also recognized as a Udall Foundation Scholar for his commitment to environmental issues.

Joseph was born and raised in Puerto Rico where he experienced the environmental and educational inequalities affecting predominantly under-represented minorities first-hand; therefore, he works closely with under-served communities to increase environmental engagement and expose them to higher education. He created the You Belong program to introduce careers in the sciences to youth in under-served Bay Area communities. Joseph is passionate about increasing the involvement of Hispanics in the geosciences, a field where they are the most under-represented, and he aspires to join the professoriate.