Francisca Santana
Assistant Professor, Environmental and Forest Sciences
University of Washington
Dr. Francisca (“Kika”) Santana studies the social and psychological processes underpinning conservation and adaptation behavior. Her research investigates topics such as the social nature of wildfire smoke adaptation decisions in the U.S. West, coral reef conservation behavior in Hawaiʻi, and coastal community resilience and climate adaptation in southeastern Louisiana. She draws on theories and approaches from conservation and social psychology, environmental sociology, and human geography, while using multiple methods, such as surveys and semi-structured interviews. Her work is often community-engaged, and aims to co-produce science in partnership with local and Indigenous communities. Dr. Santana uses she/her pronouns. She goes by her given name “Francisca” (pronounced fran-SIS-kah), and the nickname “Kika” (pronounced KEE-kah), a diminutive of Francisca from Mexican Spanish.