UGA names SREL’s Beasley Fred C. Davison Early Career Scholar

James C BeasleyAiken, S.C.– James C. Beasley, assistant professor at the University of Georgia’s Savannah River Ecology Laboratory and Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources, has been named the 2018 recipient of UGA’s Fred C. Davison Early Career Scholar Award.

Named in honor of UGA’s18th president, the award is given annually to an early career faculty member to recognize outstanding accomplishment and evidence for future success in scholarship, creative work or scientific research.

Beasley is known internationally for his expertise in wildlife ecology, including research in the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone that documented abundant populations of wildlife in areas deemed unsafe for human habitation.

He has received more than $2.6 million in research grants and contracts from various organizations.

To date, Beasley has published more than 85 scientific articles and book chapters. A significant number of his publications are in international research journals. He is also a co-author of the recently published book, “Ecology and Management of Terrestrial Invasive Species in the United States.”

Beasley serves as the wildlife adviser for the International Atomic Energy Agency to the prefecture government in Fukushima, Japan in response to the 2011 tsunami and nuclear accident.

He is known for using innovative field techniques in his research to investigate the behavior and management of mammal populations, particularly in human-altered landscapes. He also has vast experience investigating invasive species, such as wild pigs and coyotes, to resolve human-wildlife conflicts.

Beasley received his master’s and doctoral degrees in wildlife ecology from Purdue University and his bachelor’s degree from the State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry.