Large carnivore ecologist
Rae Wynn-Grant is a large-carnivore ecologist and a fellow with National Geographic Society. She is best known for her research of the human impact on the behavior of black bears in Montana and is an advocate for women and people of color in the sciences.
Early life and education.
Wynn-Grant was born in California. She says that, as a child, she spent time watching television shows about wildlife and conservation which inspired her interest in ecology. Wynn-Grant received her B.S. in Environmental Studies from Emory University and her M.S. in Environmental Studies from The Yale School of the Environment at Yale University, and her Ph.D. in Ecology and Evolution from Columbia University. She also completed a Conservation Science Research and Teaching Postdoctoral Fellowship with the Center for Biodiversity and Conservation at the American Museum of Natural History.
Career.
Wynn-Grant is an ecologist, storyteller, and science communicator. She is a current research fellow with National Geographic Society. She also serves as a visiting scientist position at the American Museum of Natural History and an adjunct professor at Columbia University and Johns Hopkins University.
Research.
Wynn-Grant studies large carnivores with a focus on using statistical modeling to determine how human activity alters the spatial patterns of carnivore behavior and ecology. As a National Geographic Society fellow, she worked with the American Prairie to predict which human habitats will attract bears as part of the reserve's restoration efforts in northeast Montana. Wynn-Grant used camera traps, geographic information systems and other research methods to study the movements of bears to better understand their habitat preferences and risk of being struck by vehicles or euthanized by local authorities.
Other activities.
From April to July 2021, Wynn-Grant hosted "Crash Course Zoology", a fourteen-episode series on YouTube which focuses on different aspects of animal biology. In 2021, she was a collaborator for the Reebok x National Geographic collection of family-friendly shoes, alongside photographer Matthieu Paley. She is the host and writer on the podcast series, Going Wild with Dr. Rae Wynn-Grant by PBS Nature, which was honored in 2022 by the Webby Awards for Best Limited Series.
Awards and leadership.
Wynn-Grant is an advocate for women and people of color in the sciences. In 2019, the American Association for the Advancement of Science named her one of 100 IF/THEN Ambassadors, a program designed to highlight women in science, technology, engineering and mathematics fields to create high-profile role models for middle school girls. Wynn-Grant also serves as Equity, Inclusion, and Diversity Officer on the Board of Governors for the Society for Conservation Biology.
Wynn-Grant is committed to raising awareness of racism and equity in the sciences. In September 2019, she wrote a response to Sam Kean's feature, "Science's debt to the slave trade," in Science. Wynn-Grant criticized Kean's article for centering the motivations and work of white scientists in discussing the slave trade while including little on how Black people experienced the violence of slavery and how its legacy has influenced the participation of Black people in the sciences today.
Wynn-Grant also serves on the board of directors for The Explorer's Club.