James D. Murdoch

James D. Murdoch is a Professor and Associate Dean for Academic Affairs at the Rubenstein School of Environment and Natural Resources at the University of Vermont. He is also a Fellow at the Gund Institute for Environment and serves on the Board of Trustees of The Nature Conservancy in Vermont, the Vermont Scientific Advisory Group for Mammals, and the IUCN/SSC Canid Specialist Group.

Dr. Murdoch earned his BA in Biology from Colorado College (1996), MS in Biological Sciences from University of Denver (2003), and DPhil in Zoology from University of Oxford (2009). He joined the University of Vermont in 2009 and has established himself as a leading wildlife biologist with international research collaborations.

His research focuses on wildlife ecology and conservation, with particular emphasis on large mammals including carnivores and ungulates. Dr. Murdoch investigates sociality, demography, food habits, ranging behavior, and activity patterns of wildlife, while also examining how human activities such as landscape development, climate change, and hunting/poaching affect wildlife populations. His work employs a combination of field studies, experimentation, and modeling across diverse regions including Vermont, Africa, and Asia.

Analysis of Dr. Murdoch's recent publications reveals a strong focus on wildlife conservation challenges in changing landscapes. His research spans wildlife health issues (particularly moose and winter ticks in Vermont), carnivore ecology (including snow leopards, kit foxes, and various canids), ecosystem engineering, and landscape connectivity. His work integrates field ecology with conservation planning, human dimensions of wildlife management, and increasingly, genetic approaches to understanding wildlife populations.

• Gund Institute for Environment Fellow

Dr. Murdoch advises several graduate students including Caitlin Drasher (Ph.D. researching landscape connectivity), Maggie Batton (M.S. on rabies vaccination strategies), and Ali Aghili (Ph.D. on cougar abundance and distribution). His research is supported by numerous grants from agencies including the Northeastern States Research Cooperative, USDA Forest Service, and various wildlife management agencies. He collaborates extensively with international partners including the Mongolian Academy of Sciences, Denver Zoological Foundation, and Zambian Carnivore Programme.

Dr. Murdoch leads research teams across multiple continents, with ongoing projects in Vermont studying moose ecology and wildlife-landscape interactions, in Mongolia focusing on carnivore ecology and pastoralist-wildlife relationships, and in Africa examining ungulate conservation. His Ikh Nart Nature Reserve work in Mongolia has been particularly influential in transforming what was once a 'paper park' into a model protected area.