Amanda Bennett, PhD

Research Associate

Amanda Bennett is a Research Associate at the Council of Canadian Academies (CCA). She is responsible for researching, writing, and providing project management support on various assessments.

Amanda’s academic research has focused on the ecology and conservation of reptiles and amphibians. She studied the genetics, spatial ecology, and demography of species-at-risk turtle populations for her M.Sc., then moved on to examining constraints and limitations on phenotypic plasticity in larval amphibians for her PhD. Amanda then worked in applied conservation, as an intern with the Georgian Bay Biosphere Reserve and the Saving Turtles at Risk Today Project, before returning to Trent University as a Postdoctoral Fellow, working on stress physiology, species distribution modelling, and infectious diseases of amphibians.

Amanda is the Secretary for the Canadian Herpetological Society, where she sits on the Board of Directors. She sits on the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC): Amphibian and Reptile Specialist Subcommittee.

Amanda holds a B.Sc. (Hon.) in Zoology and Studio Arts from the University of Guelph, a M.Sc. in Biology from Laurentian University, and a PhD in Environmental and Life Sciences from Trent University. She has published numerous research articles and presented at national and international academic conferences throughout her career.

She has worked on the Medical Assistance in Dying assessment.