Dr. Christopher B. Anderson (born 31 December 1976 in North Carolina) is an ecologist working in Chile's Cape Horn Biosphere Reserve. Anderson obtained his B.S. in Biology with Honors from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1999 and his Ph.D. in Ecology from the Odum School of Ecology - University of Georgia in 2006. His research in southern Chile has involved social entrepreneurial efforts, as well, such as the creation of the Omora Ethnobotanical Park (Chile) and the Omora Sub-Antarctic Research Alliance (USA). Both non-profits focus on promoting research, education and conservation in the subantarctic archipelago. Anderson and his colleagues have also developed ways of conducting socio-ecological research that is linked with long-term initiatives that connect academic investigation with society to demonstrate the inextricable union between biocultural conservation and social wellbeing.[1] In 2005, this initiative was able to successfully apply to UNESCO to obtain the designation of the Cape Horn Biosphere Reserve.
Anderson was the founding coordinator of Chile's Long-Term Socio-Ecological Research Network. Currently, he is the Director of the Sub-Antarctic Research Alliance, coordinated by the University of North Texas and the University of Magallanes. His research focuses broadly on stream ecology and the role of invasive species in subantarctic ecosystems, particularly the eradication of North American beavers from the Tierra del Fuego archipelago.[2] Honors for his research and teaching include a Fulbright Fellowship from the U.S. State Department, a National Security Education Program Grant from the U.S. Department of Defense, a National Science Foundation Dissertation Improvement Grant, a Tinker Foundation Award, and a UGA Excellence in Undergraduate Mentoring Award.