Dr. Jana Watson's interest in conservation as a science began early in
her undergraduate career. During that time at Stanford University, she
worked for Stanford's Center for Conservation Biology as research and
field assistant on projects to rid local creeks of exotic species and
conserve campus populations of the endangered tiger salamander (Ambystoma
californiense). Working with Dr. Deborah Gordon's lab, she spent
some time assisting a project measuring the spatial invasion of
argentine ants (Linepithema humile) in a local nature preserve.
She then learned more about marine ecology and its conservation while
taking courses at Hopkins Marine Station in Monterey, California.
 Jana conducted her doctoral research on animal movement and mating
behaviour of female bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops sp.) in
Western Australia, while attending Georgetown University. Even
though her research dealt primarily with theoretical questions in
animal behaviour, she also applied her data to questions of local
conservation interest, such as the effect of pearl/oyster farms on
dolphin movement and how provisioning related to dolphin home range
size.
Currently, she is working toward research projects with more direct
conservation implications, in both marine and terrestrial
environments. Jana would like to continue to work with behaviour,
especially how individual animals move in relation to each other and
their environment. She is interested in perusing topics such as the
design of marine reserves to protect animals that move large
distances, such as marine mammals, sharks, or mountain lions.
Email:
j.watson-capps@conservationinstitute.org
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