Dr. Samuel Wasser is acknowledged worldwide as a pioneer of non-invasive wildlife monitoring methods, including the genetic, endocrine and detection dog techniques used by the Center.

After obtaining his Ph.D. from the University of Washington in 1981, Dr. Wasser received consecutive Career Development Awards from the Guggenheim Foundation and the Smithsonian Institution. In 2001, Dr. Wasser was awarded the Endowed Chair in Conservation Biology by the University of Washington Board of Regents.

Dr. Wasser has participated in a number of conservation programs throughout Africa and North America , in collaboration with state, federal, and international organizations. He was coordinator of the Smithsonian Institution's Wildlife Conservation and Management Training Program for African Nationals.  He also co-edited the book Biogeography and Ecology of the Rain Forests of Eastern Africa, describing one of the most biodiverse "hot-spots" in the world.