James Watson Porter (born 5 October 1946) is an American ecologist.
Porter was raised in Ohio, near Lake Erie, and graduated from Mercersburg Academy in Mercersburg, Pennsylvania. [1] He earned an undergraduate and doctoral degree from Yale University in 1969 and 1973, respectively. [2] Porter started his teaching career at the University of Michigan in 1972, and remained on the faculty until 1977, when he joined the University of Georgia faculty. [2] Between 1977 and 1981, Porter was chief editor of the journals Ecology and Ecological Monographs. [3] Porter held the Josiah Meigs Distinguished Professorship at the University of Georgia, and was granted emeritus status upon his retirement. [4]
In 1983, Porter was elected to fellowship of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. [5] He was awarded the Eugene P. Odum Award for Excellence in Ecology Education by the Ecological Society of America in 2005. [1] [6] In 2012, the Ecological Society of America awarded him fellow status. [7] [8]