Dr. Jay H. Withgott has authored Environment: The Science behind the Stories, and Essential Environment since their inception. In dedicating himself to these ebooks, he works to keep abreast of a rapidly changing field and continually seeks to develop better ways to help today’s college students learn environmental science.

As a researcher, Dr. Withgott has published many papers in evolution, animal behavior, ecology, and conservation biology in journals ranging from Evolution to Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. As an instructor, he has taught university lab courses in ecology and other related disciplines. As a science writer, Professor Jay has authored numerous articles for magazines and journals including Science, BioScience, Smithsonian, New Scientist, and Natural History. By combining his scientific training with prior experience as a newspaper reporter and editor, he strives to make science accessible and engaging for general audiences. He holds degrees from the University of Arkansas, Yale University, and the University of Arizona.