Stanford University
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Flora Jiaxuan Xu
Ph.D. Student in Environment and Resources, admitted Autumn 2023
BioFlora Jiaxuan Xu is a PhD candidate in the Emmett Interdisciplinary Program in Environment and Resources (E-IPER) at Stanford University, working at the intersection of environmental psychology, civil and environmental engineering, urban design, and behavioral science. Her research investigates how people define, experience, and internalize “nature” as part of the self, and how psychological, cultural, and built-environment factors shape human–nature relationships in contemporary cities.
Drawing on theories of identity, perception, cultural psychology, and ecological systems, Flora proposes Nature Identity as a new interdisciplinary framework for understanding how nature becomes woven into self-concept and everyday meaning-making. She employs a broad mixed-methods approach—including qualitative interviews, quantitative modeling, ecological momentary assessment, photovoice, and human-centered design—to examine how urban nature influences wellbeing, identity formation, and environmental behavior. In parallel, she develops creative, design-driven solutions such as immersive installations, biophilic illusions, narrative and sensory interventions, and technology-enabled building features that aim to strengthen nature connection and promote climate engagement in urban settings.
Flora works with the Social Ecology Lab and the Billington Lab, as well as external partners in urban design, behavioral science, and immersive storytelling. Her work seeks to bridge scientific research with real-world application, advancing strategies that integrate psychology, culture, and design to foster healthier and more nature-responsive cities.
Prior to Stanford, Flora completed an M.S. in Environmental Health at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and holds B.A. degrees in Sustainable Environmental Design and Cognitive Science from the University of California, Berkeley. -
Maya Emily Xu
Bachelor of Science, Honors, Biology with Honors
Masters Student in Biology, admitted Autumn 2022
Minor, Education
Stanford Student Employee, BiologyBioI'm an undergraduate ('25) and coterminal masters student majoring in biology (concentrating in ecology, evolution and environment). I previously completed a minor in education, a Notation for Science Communication, and will co-instruct BIO 121/221 (Ornithology) for the third time this spring.
Broadly, I'm interested in three main topics (which all have to do with birds!): 1) how birds can be used as indicator or sentinel species for environmental disturbance; 2) how interactions between humans and birds are shifting thanks to gradients of anthropogenic change; and 3) how these interactions can be shaped to better promote wider ecological health and beneficial services. I'm currently in the middle of a year-long study with Marty Freeland, funded by Jasper Ridge Biological Preserve's ('Ootchamin 'Ooyakma) (JROO) Mellon Grant, to compare the riparian bird communities at JROO and TomKat Ranch using three different survey methodologies (in-person transects, passive acoustic monitoring, and mob tape deployments). I'm also working closely with the San Francisco Bay Bird Observatory (SFBBO), where I volunteer as a bird banding trainee, and the Stanford SIGMA lab to quantify heavy metal contamination in the feathers of songbirds caught at the bird banding stations in JROO and the SFBBO's main station in Milpitas.
I previously conducted my senior honors thesis on how heavy metals affect raptors on the North American Pacific coast. My primary study species were the peregrine falcons (Falco peregrinus) breeding on top of Stanford University’s Hoover Tower, and the golden eagles (Aquila chrysaetos) breeding at JROO, where I'm a docent and former avian transect leader.
