Stan Rullman, Ph.D.

Stan Rullman (He, His, Him) has held the role of Research Director for Earthwatch since 2013, though it has been a vigorous “banner waver” for the organization’s unique global model of citizen science for much longer. He has over 30 years of professional experience in conducting, supporting, and managing wildlife research projects- international and domestic. Stan studied raptor and songbird ecology along Seattle’s urban-to-wildland gradient for his Ph.D. research at the University of Washington, as well as patterns of second home development in the Northwest. He enjoys working at the nexus between critical field research and transformative learning experiences, helping volunteers shift from seeing themselves as a passive observer of the natural world to an active participant in its preservation and stewardship through participation in the engaging field research projects that Earthwatch supports.

What do you enjoy most about your research topic?

My role as the Research Director at Earthwatch allows me to work directly with some of the most brilliant and dedicated scientists I have ever met. It is truly a privilege to be a part of their research by providing not only funding but what might be Earthwatch's more important currency—the time and effort of the citizen scientist volunteers we recruit to help the scientists collect the data the scientists need in the field.   

How does your research support citizen science?

One cool aspect of working with so many scientists working with citizen scientist volunteers is an on-going process of developing and refining "best practices" for engaging the public in field research. We are always working with our scientists on ways to improve the quality and validity of data collected by trained volunteers, and it is certainly a two-way conversation, with tips and tricks coming in from the field that we try to share across relevant projects with similar research tasks. It is certainly a win-win for all involved!