Patricia Townsend

Adjunct Instructor

ptownsend@cornish.edu

Patricia Townsend earned a BFA in Fashion Design at Parsons School of Design in New York. After a brief but successful career as a fashion designer in New York and Italy, she did post-bac work at Harvard University in the natural and physical sciences. She then earned a MS degree in zoology from the University of Florida and completed a Ph. D. in zoology from the University of Washington. With a fellowship from the American Academy for the Advancement of Science, she worked as a science journalist and wrote stories on bird migration, genetics and seasonal affective disorder. Patricia’s research in Costa Rica centers on the conservation of biodiversity using restoration as a tool to create more resilient forests. Her work is highly interdisciplinary using ecology, sociology and climate change to achieve conservation goals. In her teaching, she takes a similar approach and integrates many disciplines. Patricia enjoys bringing ideas together in new and interesting ways and is looking forward to finding avenues for the natural world to inspire artistic endeavors.