John Phillips, Ph.D.

Deputy Director of Conservation and Research
Zoological Society of San Diego

Dr. John (Andy) Phillips serves the Zoological Society of San Diego as deputy director of Conservation and Research. In this role, he provides guidance in determining overall scientific and conservation goals. Working with the director of Conservation and Research, he is responsible for overseeing CRES regional conservation programs in Asia, Africa, and the Caribbean, as well as the activities and staff of the Conservation Education Laboratory and the Zoological Society’s Library.

Dr. Phillips has been associated with the Zoological Society since 1981, when he joined the staff as a comparative physiologist at CRES. In 1993, he was named deputy director of research and served as interim director of research in 1998. He was named to his current position in 1999.

Prior to joining the Society, Dr. Phillips received a bachelor’s degree in biology in 1973 from the University of California, Santa Cruz, beginning his academic career with honors-at-entrance. By 1979, he had earned a Ph.D.
in zoology from the University of California, Davis, and during his final year was honored as a Regent’s Fellow. Throughout his academic studies, he gained experience as a research and teaching assistant and was associate-in-residence in the Department of Zoology at Davis during his doctoral studies. After earning a doctoral degree, he accepted a postdoctoral fellowship at Colorado State University.

Dr. Phillips has been awarded numerous grants for field and laboratory studies and served as a program director at the National Science Foundation from 1996 to 1998. In addition to administrative duties at CRES, he coordinated the Belize iguana project in Central America, conducted field studies on savanna monitor lizards in Namibia, and helped coordinate research on Komodo dragons in zoos and in the wild.

Dr. Phillips has authored or co-authored more than 100 articles, reports, and abstracts on a variety of topics in both scientific and popular publications. He is a member of the Herpetologists’ League and has served on scientific review panels for the National Science Foundation, the Smithsonian Institution, Office of Science and Technology Policy (Office of the President), the Association of Zoos and Aquariums, and others. He is also an adjunct professor in the Department of Biology at San Diego State University.