Author

Shannon Bennett

Dr. Shannon Bennett is the Chief of Science and Harry W. and Diana V. Hind Dean of Science and Research Collections at the California Academy of Sciences. She is responsible for the Academy’s programs of scientific research and exploration, and oversees the Academy’s collection of nearly 46 million scientific specimens. She also holds an appointment as one of the institution’s Patterson Scholars in Science and Sustainability. Bennett joined the Academy in 2011 as the institution’s first-ever Associate Curator of Microbiology, where she broadened the institution’s research scope to include a dedicated focus on viruses and bacteria. Her specialty lies in infectious diseases that can be transmitted from animals to humans.

Shannon Bennett's Latest Articles

Bat flying over homes in Berwickshire, Scotland

Pandemics of Our Own Making

By Shannon Bennett

●

Opinion

●

July 21, 2020

While it's critical that we devote our scientific ingenuity to beating back the current pandemic, we must also address our broken relationship with nature in a concerted effort to prevent similar outbreaks in the future.

The Zika Challenge

By Shannon Bennett

●

Opinion

●

August 17, 2016

As we look for ways to prevent the world’s latest mosquito-borne disease, our focus on the mosquitoes themselves might be obscuring a more sustainable solution.