Research
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Nat Spring
Senior Research Director - Extn: 808
Nat started work at Earthwatch in April 2000 as a Science Officer. He is currently Acting Head of Research at Earthwatch (Europe) and is responsible for the development and evaluation of the international field research programme in collaboration with Earthwatch research teams in the US and Australian offices. During his time at Earthwatch Nat has developed and reviewed projects in the UK, Ghana, Madagascar, Seychelles, South Africa, Cameroon, Kenya, Portugal, Malaysia, Jordan, China, Ecuador and Russia. A particular focus of his work is on collaborating with Earthwatch Principal Investigators on the delivery of corporate and grant-funded research.
Prior to joining Earthwatch, Nat gained an MSc in Marine Environmental Protection from the School of Ocean Science, University of Wales, Bangor. Before that he spent two and a half years working for Worldwide Fund for Nature in Malaysia on coral reef and mangrove research and environmental education projects.
Nat is keen on outdoor activities and took a sabbatical from Earthwatch in late 2003/early 2004 to row across the Atlantic from the Canary Islands to Barbados.
Read more about Nat's life and work.
Dr. Dan Bebber
Head of Climate Change Research - Extn: 842
Dan joined Earthwatch as Head of Climate Change Research in 2007. He is responsible for scientific research at the five global climate change field centres, in the UK, USA, Brazil, China and India, where the relationship between forest management and climate change will be investigated. His doctorate considered the influence of El Nino-related droughts on forest regeneration in Borneo, and he has research experience in reduced-impact silviculture in Canada, sustainable harvesting of medicinal plants in India and Nepal, and the biology of woodland fungi in the UK. His professional interests are the ecology and management of forests, and experimental design and statistics.
Dan also holds a Junior Research Fellowship in Biology at St. Peter's College, Oxford University, where he lectures in ecology and statistics.
Dr. James Burton
Research and Communications Manager - Extn: 802
James joined Earthwatch in January 2006. He currently works on developing field research projects, specifically those related to climate change and sustainable resource management. He also works with Earthwatch's Principal Investigators to ensure scientific rigour of corporate and grant funded research. Since joining Earthwatch, James has visited the Sri Lanka's Elephants and Elusive Leopards, Sri Lanka's Temple Monkeys and Seals of Southwest England projects.
James previously worked at the University of Edinburgh and Roslin Institute focusing on the conservation and genetics of Asian ungulates. This research included a PhD on the taxonomy and conservation status of Asian buffalos. This work led James to take on the position of Chair of the IUCN-SSC Asian Wild Cattle Specialist Group. His recent work on the conservation genetics of Asian pigs includes a collaboration with Antwerp Zoo in Belgium.
He has also worked in Indonesia for three years, including periods of work for The Nature Conservancy and Operation Wallacea (conservation NGOs) conducting large mammal surveys. Prior to this, James gained a BSc in Biology from Bristol University and an MSc in Conservation Biology from Manchester Metropolitan University.
Debbie Winton
Research Officer - Extn: 805
Debbie started at Earthwatch in January 2008. Her responsibilities include developing the Oceans research programme, developing and reviewing international research projects and coordinating distribution of training grants to African scientists.
She has an MSc in Marine Environmental Protection, which followed a BSc (hons) in Marine Biology and Zoology, both from the University of Wales, Bangor. Research for her MSc project was conducted in Rodrigues, Mauritius, focusing on assessing the habitats, coral reef health and fish abundance of a proposed marine protected area. Before Earthwatch, she worked in Fiji as an assistant marine research coordinator on a conservation project based on the remote island of Gau, where she also gained her PADI Divemaster qualification. Before University she spent 3 months in Madagascar, where she volunteered on a marine research project to survey the coral reefs at a previously un-researched location on the south-west coast, and during her university years worked in the summer as a field assistant on a UK bumble bee project.
Debbie is a keen outdoors person and a traveller, visiting new places at every opportunity including Iceland, Egypt, South Africa and Swaziland, the USA and many parts of Europe. In her spare time surfing is her main hobby, alongside SCUBA diving and generally keeping fit and active.