Hamilton new Vice President for Conservation Science and Chief Scientist with NatureServe
NatureServe today announced that Healy Hamilton, Ph.D., has accepted the position of vice president for conservation science and chief scientist, starting on November 4, 2013.
Hamilton is a leading researcher on the effects of global change on biodiversity, and her scientific interests extend to the taxonomy, evolution, and conservation genetics of seahorses and pipefish. During ten years as the founding director of the Center for Applied Biodiversity Informatics at the California Academy of Sciences, Hamilton built a highly respected and productive program focused on research, education, and outreach around conservation biogeography.
Collaboration is a consistent theme throughout Hamilton’s career. She recently participated as a core member of the NatureServe-led team developing Rapid Ecoregional Assessments for the U.S. Bureau of Land Management, contributing methods to analyze and map a range of stressors including invasive species and climate change. She is committed to community service and currently sits on the board of the Society for Conservation GIS and the Science Committee of the National Park Service Advisory Board. Her career-long engagement in understanding and conserving biodiversity in Latin America will strengthen connections across the NatureServe network.
As chief scientist of NatureServe, Hamilton will lead a staff of 34 scientists and foster cooperative programs with several hundred staff across the NatureServe network, including research botanists and zoologists, terrestrial, freshwater, and marine ecologists, and science information specialists.