David Macdonald (biologist) explained

David Macdonald
Birth Name:David Whyte Macdonald
Birth Date:[1]
Citizenship:United Kingdom
Nationality:Scottish
Fields:Zoology, wildlife conservation
Workplaces:University of Oxford
Alma Mater:Wadham College, Oxford (BA)Balliol College, Oxford (DPhil)
Doctoral Students:Rosie Woodroffe[2] Alexandra ZimmermannTucker Murphy

David Whyte Macdonald CBE FRSE is a Scottish zoologist and conservationist. He is the Director of the Wildlife Conservation Research Unit (WildCRU) at the University of Oxford, which he founded in 1986. He holds a Senior Research Fellowship at Lady Margaret Hall with the Title of Distinction of Professor of Wildlife Conservation.[3] [4] He has been an active wildlife conservationist since graduating from Oxford.

Career

David Macdonald's concept was, and remains, to undertake original research on aspects of fundamental biology relevant to solving practical problems of wildlife conservation and environmental management, and thus to underpin policy formation and public debate of the many issues that surround the conservation of wildlife and its habitats.[4] From his early work on red foxes he retains a specialisation in carnivores, with an increasing emphasis on felids. He has published over 300 papers in refereed international journals, and written or edited more than a dozen books, of which the most recent is Key Topics in Conservation Biology.

Amongst other things he is currently a visiting professor at Imperial College, chair of the Darwin Advisory Committee, Chair of Natural England's Science Advisory Committee and board member, a Trustee of Earthwatch Europe[5] and WWF-UK, and council member of the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust.[4]

He has done much to popularise biology with the general public. He is known for his documentary films and his popular books, for which he has twice won the Natural World Author of the Year award. His Night of the Fox won the BAFTA for Best Documentary Film of 1976, Running with the Fox won the Natural History Book of the Year award for 1987, and Meerkats United won the Wildscreen 1988 award. His films include the popular BBC seven-part series The Velvet Claw, a natural history of carnivores.[6]

Awards and honours

He won the Dawkins Prize for Conservation and Animal Welfare in 2005,[7] he was awarded the American Society of Mammalogists' Merriam Prize for research in mammalogy in 2006,[8] and in 2007 The Mammal Society of Great Britain's equivalent medal.[9] He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh in March 2008.[10]

Macdonald was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the 2010 Birthday Honours.[6]

Bibliography

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Library Thing. 17 December 2010.
  2. PhD. University of Oxford. Factors affecting reproductive success in the European badger, Meles meles L.. Rosemary Brigitte.. Woodroffe. 1992. 27 July 2016. 17 December 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20191217052023/http://solo.bodleian.ox.ac.uk/OXVU1:LSCOP_OX:oxfaleph010766528. dead.
  3. http://www.wildcru.org/ WildCRU
  4. Web site: Professor David Whyte Macdonald. The University of Oxford. Department of Zoology. 2010. 15 December 2010. https://web.archive.org/web/20150227212529/http://www.zoo.ox.ac.uk/people/view/macdonald_dw.htm. 2015-02-27.
  5. Web site: Earthwatch Europe – Board and Governance. Earthwatch. 15 December 2010. 9 October 2010. https://web.archive.org/web/20101009092306/http://www.earthwatch.org/europe/aboutus/staff/board. dead.
  6. News: University wildlife expert gets CBE for his work. Oxford Mail. 23 May 2012. Jen Rivett. 14 June 2010.
  7. Web site: https://web.archive.org/web/20070912192317/http://www.balliol.ox.ac.uk/official/miscellany/dawkins/index.asp. The Dawkins Prize for Animal Conservation and Welfare. The University of Oxford. Balliol College. 12 September 2007. 15 December 2010.
  8. Web site: Merriam Award Committee . . 16 December 2010 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20101125011614/http://mammalsociety.org/committees/indexmerriam.asp . 25 November 2010 . dmy .
  9. Web site: Bursaries, Prizes and Awards. The Mammal Society. 16 December 2010.
  10. Web site: New Expertise Strengthens RSE Fellowship. 4 March 2008. Royal Society of Edinburgh. Press release. 16 December 2010. 20 July 2009. https://web.archive.org/web/20090720223057/http://www.royalsoced.org.uk/rse_press/2008/election2008.pdf. dead.

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "David Macdonald (biologist)".

Except where otherwise indicated, Everything.Explained.Today is © Copyright 2009-2024, A B Cryer, All Rights Reserved. Cookie policy.