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Reaser, Jamie K.

Reaser, Jamie K. view

Senior Scientist/Project Director (Human Dimensions of Conservation)

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Reaser, Jamie K. view

Senior Scientist/Project Director (Human Dimensions of Conservation)

Senior transdisciplinary scientist and policy analyst with the Smithsonian's National Zoo & Conservation Biology Institute focused on the human dimensions of conservation at national and international scales of influence. Affiliate Faculty at Smithsonian-Mason School of Conservation. Associate Editor for Frontiers in Conservation Science (Social Science). Award-winning literary writer at the interface of nature and human nature.

Positions

Geographic Focus

Background And Education

Education And Training

  • Ph.D. in Biology/Conservation Ecology, Stanford University , Department of Biology, Amphibian declines: conservation science and adaptive management.” Advisor: Prof. Paul R. Ehrlich 1993 - 1997
  • B.Sc. in Interdisciplinary Science (Biology, Anthropology, Geology) & Studio Art, College of William and Mary 1986 - 1990

Awards And Honors

Public Biography

  • Dr. Reaser regards conservation as an art and science of motivating and empowering people. She takes a transdisciplinary approach to the human dimensions of conservation and has worked in more than 60 countries as an ecologist, communication psychologist,  international environmental policy negotiator, and professional trainer. She holds a PhD in Biology from Stanford University and B.S. in Field Biology from the College of William and Mary and is a Certified Health Practitioner, Master Practitioner, and Trainer in Neuro-linguistic Programming. 

    Much of Dr. Reaser’s career has focused on delivering science into the policy context. This has included science advisory roles across the U.S. Executive Branch and multiple components of the Executive Office of the President, as well as providing direction to United Nations agencies, foreign governments, and private sector leadership. She is the author of more than 100 publications at the science-policy interface across a wide-range of environmental issues—amphibian declines, coral bleaching, climate change, invasive species, biosecurity, and infectious disease, among others. Currently, she serves as Affiliate Faculty for the Smithsonian Mason School of Conservation and as an Associate Editor for Frontiers in Conservation Science (Social Science).

    Dr. Reaser is particularly well-known for using her transdisciplinary expertise and multi-sector professional network to develop solutions to seemingly intractable science-policy issues. Consistently, her work has been at the leading edge of knowledge generation and problem resolution. Her doctoral research on amphibian declines untangled a web of contributing factors from genetic to ecosystem scale, preventing multiple species from being listed under the US Endangered Species Act. In the late 1990s, she directed the first scholarly assessment to ascertain that climate change was already impacting ecological systems. Recently, she led a multi-faceted assessment of the science and practice of invasive species early detection/rapid response that now serves as the basis for development of a nationwide program. The COVID-19 pandemic inspired her to co-develop the Land Use-Induced Spillover model to provide a framework for investigating the drivers of zoonotic spillover. The framework is being operationalized by scientific and policy making communities globally. Currently, among other projects, she is leading a Congressionally directed effort to assess the zoonotic disease risk of wildlife entering the United States through international trade. 

    At the Smithsonian's National Zoo & Conservation Biology Institute, Dr. Reaser is actively amassing a transdisciplinary portfolio of work that explores the relationship between collective human trauma and Earth system change, with a view toward building socio-ecological resilience. Example of topical themes include ecological grief, place and displacement, human-nature connectivity, and environmental justice. She welcomes contact from potential collaborators, as well as communication outlets seeking speakers or writers on these topics.

    Dr. Reaser has served as professional educator and trainer for a wide range of institutions globally. She is strongly committed to training the next generation of conservation practitioners and welcomes contact from students or prospective students - associated with any academic institution - who are seeking career advice and/or potential research projects. Her courses have ranged from biodiversity assessment and monitoring for various taxonomic groups to environmental leadership development at executive and institutional scales to communication strategies for conservation success. She has also served as a psychology guide and certified life coach, working with individuals and groups in nature-based settings to overcome personal and collective trauma so as to improve visionary leadership capacity in a rapidly changing world. 

    When not engaged in science-policy or training pursuits, Dr. Reaser is a farmer, artist, and public figure in literary circles. She is the award-winning author of more than a dozen books in poetry and prose genres.

Credentials

International Audience Summary Of Expertise

  • Dr. Reaser has worked in over 60 countries as an ecologist, communication psychologist, international policy negotiator, and professional trainer. She has substantial experience working with the intergovernmental organizations, particularly UN agencies, and foreign governments to improve conservation effectiveness through visionary leadership development, communication strategies that facilitate changes in human behavior, and programmatic transformation that integrates the human dimensions of conservation.

Research And Grants

Research Overview

  • Dr. Reaser is particularly well-known for using her transdisciplinary expertise and multi-sector professional network to develop solutions to seemingly intractable science-policy issues. Consistently, her work has been at the leading edge of knowledge generation and problem resolution. Her doctoral research on amphibian declines untangled a web of contributing factors from genetic to ecosystem scale, preventing multiple species from being listed under the US Endangered Species Act. In the late 1990s, she directed the first scholarly assessment to ascertain that climate change was already impacting ecological systems. Recently, she led a multi-faceted assessment of the science and practice of invasive species early detection/rapid response that now serves as the basis for development of a nationwide program. The COVID-19 pandemic inspired her to co-develop the Land Use-Induced Spillover model to provide a framework for investigating the drivers of zoonotic spillover. The framework is being operationalized by scientific and policy making communities globally. Currently, among other projects, she is leading a Congressionally directed effort to assess the zoonotic disease risk of wildlife entering the United States through international trade. 

    At the National Zoo & Conservation Biology Institute, Dr. Reaser is actively amassing a transdisciplinary portfolio of work that explores the relationship between collective human trauma and Earth system change, with a view toward building socio-ecological resilience. Example of topical themes include ecological grief, place and displacement, human-nature connectivity, and environmental justice. She welcomes contact from potential collaborators, as well as communication outlets seeking speakers or writers on these topics.

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Has Expertise In Technique

Keywords

  • Human Dimensions of Conservation, Applied Ecology, Human Ecology, Transdisciplinary Science, Psychology, Social Sciences, Conservation Policy, Arts and Humanities

Publications

Selected Publications

Editor Of

  • Book

    • Reaser, Jamie K., editor. 2023. Dawn Songs: A Bird Watcher's Field Guide to the Poetics of Migration. Schuyler: Talking Waters Press. 2023
    • Reaser, Jamie K., editor. 2013. Courting the Wild: Love Affairs with Reptiles & Amphibians. Second ed. Danvers: Hiraeth Press. 2013
    • Reaser, Jamie K. and McElroy, Susan Chernak, editors. 2008. Courting the Wild: Love Affairs with the Land. 2008: Hiraeth Press. 2008

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