Kate Jackson (born 14 February 1972) is a Canadian
herpetologist who specializes in the study of venomous snakes in Central Africa. She earned her PhD from
Harvard
Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher le ...
in 2002. In her dissertation she concluded that a venom-delivery system evolved during the
Miocene era, approximately 25 million years ago. And from there three separate, more sophisticated, apparatuses developed.
Her first trip to the region was in 1997. Jackson took an internship at the
Smithsonian Institution and traveled to the
Republic of Congo
The Republic of the Congo (french: République du Congo, ln, Republíki ya Kongó), also known as Congo-Brazzaville, the Congo Republic or simply either Congo or the Congo, is a country located in the western coast of Central Africa to the w ...
, starting her trip in
Brazzaville
Brazzaville (, kg, Kintamo, Nkuna, Kintambo, Ntamo, Mavula, Tandala, Mfwa, Mfua; Teke: ''M'fa'', ''Mfaa'', ''Mfa'', ''Mfoa''Roman Adrian Cybriwsky, ''Capital Cities around the World: An Encyclopedia of Geography, History, and Culture'', ABC-CLI ...
. She worked in Northern Congo, but she had to cut her research trip short when a scrape on her leg became infected and she had to be evacuated for treatment in
Cameroon. Despite the early end, she collected several amphibian and reptile species, seven of which had never been collected in Congo before.
She received funding from the Smithsonian to return to the Republic of Congo in 2005 to continue her research. The trip was difficult, due to flooding in the area, but she collected 130 species, including a six-foot long water cobra that she carried in her backpack because they did not have a bag large enough for it.
In 2009 she was a finalist for the
Washington State Book Award in the history/biography category for her book on her work in Congo: ''Mean and Lowly Things: Snakes, Science, and Survival in the Congo''. Around the same time took a sabbatical to diagnosis and recover from
transverse myelitis, a neurological condition caused by a virus in the spine, mostly likely picked up on one of her African expeditions. Spinal damage had her using a wheelchair for a time.
Jackson discovered a new species of snake with a team in 2015. It was named 'Radford's House Snake' and is only found in the
Albertine Rift area of Africa.
Jackson is currently working as a Professor at
Whitman College in Washington State.
Early life
Jackson was born in
Toronto on 14 February 1972. She credits her first encounter with a snake at the age of 5, as the inspiration for her career. She attended
Dalhousie University
Dalhousie University (commonly known as Dal) is a large public research university in Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia ( ; ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is one of the three Maritime provinces and one of the fou ...
for a year before transferring to the
University of Toronto to study herpetology. She graduated with honors in 1994.
Awards
* 2011
Women of Discovery Award
The Women of Discovery Awards are given by the non-profit WINGS WorldQuest, in recognition of the achievements of women in science and exploration.
The awards were first presented in 2003, the same year that WINGS WorldQuest was formed by Milbry ...
for Courage, WINGS WorldQuest
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jackson, Kate
Canadian women biologists
University of Toronto alumni
21st-century Canadian women writers
21st-century Canadian non-fiction writers
1972 births
Living people
Canadian herpetologists
Women herpetologists
Writers from Toronto
Dalhousie University alumni
Whitman College faculty
Harvard University alumni
Canadian women non-fiction writers
21st-century Canadian women scientists
21st-century Canadian biologists