Estelí Jiménez-Soto

I am originally from Chiapas, Mexico. Our research in agroecology is continuously evolving, but we am primarily interested in studying the role of biodiversity in agroecosystems, from both an ecological and social perspective.

Our projects draw from a variety of disciplines and concepts including community ecology, political ecology, anthropology, and critical food geography to have a complex and encompassing understanding of social and ecological dynamics within agroecosystems. Much of our work takes place in Latin America, particularly in Chiapas, Mexico, in coffee agroforestry systems. Our lab also has a project in urban farms and community gardens in Tampa, FL. looking at the drivers of insect diversity in urban farms, in collaboration with the coalition of community gardens.

Curriculum Vitae

Graduate Students

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    Jabulani Majaha, PhD student

    Jabulani is a PhD student in Geography, Environmental Science, and Policy at USF (since Spring 2025), holding an MSc in Sustainable Agriculture from Stellenbosch University. Hailing from Zimbabwe, he brings more than ten years of combined experience in agriculture and education and is passionate about creating agroecological approaches to enhance climate resilience and promote environmental justice for smallholder farmers and rural communities. As a member of Dr. Jiménez-Soto's team, he is eager to contribute to the lab's research on biodiversity-agroecosystem relationships through socio-ecological approaches while advancing integrated farming systems and policy frameworks that empower rural communities.

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    Victoria Brown, PhD Student (She/Her)

    Victoria is currently a PhD student in the Geography, Environmental Science & Policy Program at USF's School of Geosciences. Victoria worked in the coffee industry for 6 years before joining the agroecology lab. She's passionate about equality and sustainability in the coffee supply chain and is excited to apply her industry experience to agroecological research. 

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    Diana Stone, M.S student (She/Her)

    My name is Diana (she/her). I joined the lab at USF in Fall 2025, but I also worked in Estelí's lab during my undergrad in Spring/Summer 2023, when she used to work in Syracuse. I graduated from SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry with a major in Environmental Studies and a minor in Food Studies. Now I'm a master's student at USF in the Environmental Science and Policy program. My research interests include biodiversity conservation in agricultural systems, tropical agroforestry, and plant-insect interactions.

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    Evita Garcia, M.S student

    Evita joined at the end of the Fall 2025 semester. She's on her first year pursuing an M.S. in Environmental Science and Policy. As a grad student, her research interests center on environmental justice, agroecology, climate and labor, and community-based participatory research. She is especially interested in farmworker resilience, heat exposure, and the social dimensions of climate adaptation. Long-term, she hopes to work at the intersection of policy advocacy and community-engaged environmental research.

Postdoctoral Scholars

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    Stephanie Coronado

    Steph finished her PhD in 2024 at the University of Nevada, Reno with Beth Pringle. She is interested in plant-ant interactions, and is currently working with the arboreal ant community in our Mexican coffee agroforestry system to understand nesting patterns and community assembly processes.

Undergrads

  • Maria Jose Ruiz, Bachelor's Student (They/Them)

    Mary is an Environmental Science and Policy major at the USF St. Pete campus. They joined the lab on Spring '26 for their senior internship. An a Science Communication intern, they are in charge of keeping the website up to date and create communication materials based on the lab's research. Their interests lay at the intersection between Earth Science, communication, and technology.

  • Zarin Zeba

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    Coen E. E. McGarrah, Bachelor's Student (They/Them)

    Coen joined the lab during the summer of 2024 and is currently a junior at USF. They are working towards a B.A in English and a B.S. in Marine Biology, with a strong interest in crustaceans. Their background is in bioinformatic research and museum education. They plan on working in scientific research and communications, as well as continuing their higher education. They will be focusing their Honors Thesis in isopod ecology in urban community gardens with the agroecology lab.

Previous lab members

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    Ruby Haswell

    Lab and field manager

    Ruby joined the lab in 2024 after she finished her BS in Environmental Science and Policy from USF. She is keen on exploring the biodiversity of Florida and she has goals to work with parks and natural areas through scientific research, environmental education and citizen communication. She will be involved with ecosystem management and terrestrial habitat restoration, as well as create interactive curriculum for children that combine her love for art and for the environment. She will begin her MS in Plant Biology and Conservation at ASU in 2025.

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    Gabe Smith

    Gabe joined the lab in 2021, and he is currently finishing an MS in Food Studies at SU. His thesis examines the social and ecological drivers of black walnut tree health in the city of Syracuse and his work emphasizes the importance of forest conservation in the urban landscape to foster a more environmentally and socially just urban food system. During his time at SU he has been the farm manager at SU, check a Spectrum News featuring his work here. He has recently accepted an extension position at Cornell Cooperative Extension!!

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    Frank Sarfo

    Frank Joined our lab in 2023. He is originally from Ghana and has a Masters from University of Padova in Italy. Frank’s research aims to address social implications of solar farming on farming livelihoods and land access in CNY. By conducting interviews and surveys with the solar industry, small-scale farmers, and policy makers, his work deals with an important problem affecting farmers, and our regional food system. His work makes an important intervention in political ecology necessary for social change.