Conservation & Science
Amanda Lawless, M.S.
Department
Center
AZA Population Management Center
Title
Population Biologist
Education
M.S. – Marine Science, Virginia Institute of Marine Science, College of William & Mary
B.S. – Biology, Butler University
Areas of Expertise
- Ecology
- Marine science
- Malacology
- Small population biology
- Small population management
- Pedigree analysis and development of pedigree assumptions
About
As an undergraduate, Amanda studied the factors affecting recruitment of larval lobsters in the Turks and Caicos Islands. Later, she worked as a marine mammal intern at the Indianapolis Zoo and also in the consulting field as a water-quality and environmental scientist.
Amanda’s master’s thesis focused on the effects of shoreline development and oyster reefs on benthic communities in Chesapeake Bay. Upon graduation, she worked as a marine scientist at the Virginia Institute of Maritime Science, where she studied benthic infauna, oysters, and blue crabs and was a member of the Sea Turtle Stranding Program.
Prior to starting her role of associate population biologist with the Association of Zoos & Aquariums (AZA) Population Management Center in March 2016, Amanda worked at the Academy of Natural Sciences in Philadelphia, where she worked on collections-based curatorial and research projects on mollusks in the Department of Malacology.