User Profile

Janice Chanson has worked for the IUCN/SSC - CI/CABS Biodiversity Assessment Unit since its beginning, a partnership established in 2001 between the CABS department of Conservation International and the Species Survival Commission of the World Conservation Union (IUCN). The Unit collects and assesses data on tens of thousands of species, drawing on a network of scientists around the globe. The initial focus is on mammals, reptiles, amphibians (see www.globalamphibians.org), and marine organisms. Her research interests include biodiversity assessment, indicators (in particular the Red List Index), and database design (Species Information Service of the IUCN).  She has published numerous scientific papers, including in Nature and Science.

Janice’s undergraduate research at Melbourne University was in Astrophysics, but after a number of years working in the IT industry, she chose to refocus her career on conservation science after completing a Masters of Research in Environmental Science at University College London in 2001.