The Center is based in the Department of Biology at the University of Washington .  The UW Biology Department is among the top ranked biological sciences programs in the nation, with three National Academy of Sciences members, four endowed chairs including the Center’s director, and four endowed professorships. The department has identified conservation biology as one of its top academic priorities for the next decade.

The caliber of our home department, coupled with the meaningful and exciting problems the Center is addressing, draws some of the best minds in the nation to tackle these conservation challenges. The Center, in collaboration with its home department, is developing a strong curriculum in conservation biology and a cutting-edge research program that places new knowledge in the hands of students, as well as government and non-government wildlife decision makers.

The Center provides new research opportunities for undergraduate, graduate, and post-graduate students and helps the department meet educational demands from the growing number of students pursing conservation biology-related degrees.