Peter Hudson is a scientist, photographer, and conservationist. He undertook his first scientific expedition to Africa at the age of 21 and has been a regular visitor ever since. Passionate about nature, he manages his own 36-hectare nature reserve in Pennsylvania which is home to bears, bobcats, and other animals.
In his professional career, Peter is the Willaman Professor of Biology at Penn State University. The focus of his research has been the infectious diseases of wildlife and in particular how new diseases emerge. For the past 11 years, he has been working on how and why viruses move from bats to humans in an attempt to predict when viral spillover occurs. He has also been studying the wolves in Yellowstone, tortoises in the Mojave Desert, and bighorn sheep in Idaho.
Peter is the Conservation Director at Paws Trails and uses his skills as a scientist and educator to increase awareness about conservation issues. He is supported by two interns at Paws Trails: Hayden Kissel and Shreya Menon. He is also heavily involved with the Random Good Foundation that undertakes storytelling for social change. He is an adjunct Professor at The Nelson Mandela African Institute of Science and Technology based in Arusha, Tanzania, and a Fellow of the Royal Society.