Family Card - Person Sheet
Notes for Doria GORDON
{geni:about_me} Conservation NGO's Profile: Doria Gordon
Degree and year: MS 1986, PhD 1989
Major advisor: Kevin Rice, Ted Foin
Ccontact information:
Doria R. Gordon, Ph.D.
Senior Ecologist & Assoc. Director of Conservation Science, The Nature Conservancy
Courtesy Professor of Botany, University of Florida
(352) 392-5949 (Phone) , (352) 846-1344 (Fax)
dgordon@tnc.org
http://www.nature.org/tncscience/scientists/misc/gordon.html
Biography: Doria Gordon (1983-1989) obtained a B.A. in Biology and Environmental Studies from Oberlin College in Ohio. After working at The Ecosystems Center of the Marine Biological Laboratory in Massachusetts, she completed a M.S. and Ph.D. in GGE with Kevin Rice and Ted Foin. Her research focused on competitive interactions between blue oak seedlings and herbaceous neighbors within native perennial and non-native Mediterranean annual grasslands. After apost-doc at Davis, she became State Ecologist for the Florida Chapter of The Nature Conservancy in 1990. Doria is now Senior Ecologist and Associate Director of Conservation Science for the Conservancy, and is a Courtesy Professor of Botany at the University of Florida. Her research focus includes restoration of longleaf pine ecosystems, identification and prediction of invasive non-indigenous plant species, and rare species biology, demography, and management.
Q1: How did you get from UCD to your current career?
A: I responded to an advertisement for the State Ecologist position that I found in Science. Applied conservation research was exactly what I was looking for, so the fit was good.
Q2: Do you like the career path that you ended up with?
A: I am very satisfied with my career path. The location of this Conservancy position within the University of Florida gives me many opportunities and resources that enhance what I am able to accomplish. While I have worked for the Florida Chapter of The Nature Conservancy for over 16 years (!), the position has shifted over time to follow both the needs of the organization and my interests. I have had opportunities to develop conservation approaches for Florida and for the larger organization, and to participate in international efforts. While I do not teach University classes, I do conduct training workshops for conservation professionals. I find the variety of work stimulating,challenging, and satisfying.
Q3: What do you like best about your job?
A: It’s difficult to pick one aspect of the job that I like best. It is very satisfying to work with a motivated, committed group of people who share many of my values and motivations. Mixing applied conservation research with conservation planning, project development, methods development, and application to policy is very rewarding.
Q4: What are your biggest professional challenges?
A: One of the biggest challenges is how to measure the impact of specific conservation strategies on the elements of biodiversity they are designed to protect or enhance. Perhaps my biggest challenge is finding the time to take onprojects I think would be valuable and fun.
Q5: How did GGE training help you?
A: GGE training gave me the scientific foundation for critical thinking and interpretation on which all my work is based. I am often fielding questions far from my areas of expertise. Synthesizing the information I can find and developing a response requires me to be able to understand and evaluate a range of ecological approaches. The range of ideas to which I was exposed in both my coursework and from my peers has been very helpful. Similarly, I think the communication skills I was forced to develop as a graduate student have been very valuable in my career.
Q6: What would you recommend that current GGE students do while they are at UCD to help them get to develop their professional potential (other than research, research, research)?
A: If your goal is to work within an NGO, actual experience in conservation work or work within an agency (even short duration) can be very helpful. I always look for a demonstrated commitment to conservation in job candidates. Asfor many types of positions, communication skills and the ability to make technical information easily accessed by a variety of audiences is critical. My work would benefit from greater statistical background, as the designs I encounter always more complex than controlled experimental work.
Q7: What are the career prospects for a young scientist in the area where you currently work?
A: The Nature Conservancy and other NGOs have many positions that require scientific training. These may be within a state or country program or at the larger organizational scale. There may be more job opportunities within NGOs than in academics. However, the greater focus on application of existing research and lower opportunity (in general) on conducting and publishing research may not be appeal to everyone.
Interviewed March 2007
Degree and year: MS 1986, PhD 1989
Major advisor: Kevin Rice, Ted Foin
Ccontact information:
Doria R. Gordon, Ph.D.
Senior Ecologist & Assoc. Director of Conservation Science, The Nature Conservancy
Courtesy Professor of Botany, University of Florida
(352) 392-5949 (Phone) , (352) 846-1344 (Fax)
dgordon@tnc.org
http://www.nature.org/tncscience/scientists/misc/gordon.html
Biography: Doria Gordon (1983-1989) obtained a B.A. in Biology and Environmental Studies from Oberlin College in Ohio. After working at The Ecosystems Center of the Marine Biological Laboratory in Massachusetts, she completed a M.S. and Ph.D. in GGE with Kevin Rice and Ted Foin. Her research focused on competitive interactions between blue oak seedlings and herbaceous neighbors within native perennial and non-native Mediterranean annual grasslands. After apost-doc at Davis, she became State Ecologist for the Florida Chapter of The Nature Conservancy in 1990. Doria is now Senior Ecologist and Associate Director of Conservation Science for the Conservancy, and is a Courtesy Professor of Botany at the University of Florida. Her research focus includes restoration of longleaf pine ecosystems, identification and prediction of invasive non-indigenous plant species, and rare species biology, demography, and management.
Q1: How did you get from UCD to your current career?
A: I responded to an advertisement for the State Ecologist position that I found in Science. Applied conservation research was exactly what I was looking for, so the fit was good.
Q2: Do you like the career path that you ended up with?
A: I am very satisfied with my career path. The location of this Conservancy position within the University of Florida gives me many opportunities and resources that enhance what I am able to accomplish. While I have worked for the Florida Chapter of The Nature Conservancy for over 16 years (!), the position has shifted over time to follow both the needs of the organization and my interests. I have had opportunities to develop conservation approaches for Florida and for the larger organization, and to participate in international efforts. While I do not teach University classes, I do conduct training workshops for conservation professionals. I find the variety of work stimulating,challenging, and satisfying.
Q3: What do you like best about your job?
A: It’s difficult to pick one aspect of the job that I like best. It is very satisfying to work with a motivated, committed group of people who share many of my values and motivations. Mixing applied conservation research with conservation planning, project development, methods development, and application to policy is very rewarding.
Q4: What are your biggest professional challenges?
A: One of the biggest challenges is how to measure the impact of specific conservation strategies on the elements of biodiversity they are designed to protect or enhance. Perhaps my biggest challenge is finding the time to take onprojects I think would be valuable and fun.
Q5: How did GGE training help you?
A: GGE training gave me the scientific foundation for critical thinking and interpretation on which all my work is based. I am often fielding questions far from my areas of expertise. Synthesizing the information I can find and developing a response requires me to be able to understand and evaluate a range of ecological approaches. The range of ideas to which I was exposed in both my coursework and from my peers has been very helpful. Similarly, I think the communication skills I was forced to develop as a graduate student have been very valuable in my career.
Q6: What would you recommend that current GGE students do while they are at UCD to help them get to develop their professional potential (other than research, research, research)?
A: If your goal is to work within an NGO, actual experience in conservation work or work within an agency (even short duration) can be very helpful. I always look for a demonstrated commitment to conservation in job candidates. Asfor many types of positions, communication skills and the ability to make technical information easily accessed by a variety of audiences is critical. My work would benefit from greater statistical background, as the designs I encounter always more complex than controlled experimental work.
Q7: What are the career prospects for a young scientist in the area where you currently work?
A: The Nature Conservancy and other NGOs have many positions that require scientific training. These may be within a state or country program or at the larger organizational scale. There may be more job opportunities within NGOs than in academics. However, the greater focus on application of existing research and lower opportunity (in general) on conducting and publishing research may not be appeal to everyone.
Interviewed March 2007