Dr. Claude Gascon is the Vice-President for Field Support Programs at Conservation International. Prior to becoming VP, Dr. Gascon was Deputy Director of the Center for Applied Biodiversity Science. Prior to that Dr.Gascon was the Project Director and Scientific Coordinator for Biological Dynamics of Forest Fragments Project (BDFFP) in Brazil from 1993 to 1998. Dr. Gascon also holds a Visiting Professor position with the Department of Ecology at the Instituto de Pesquisas da Amazonia and is a research associate with the Biodiversity Programs at the National Museum of Natural History.

Dr. Gascon completed a Master's in Ecology at Université du Québec à Montréal in Canada and his doctorate in Ecology at Florida State University.

Dr. Gascon's areas of research include Biodiversity patterns and causes and Amazonian Biodiversity, especially amphibians. His research has resulted in over 50 publications and 2 books emphasizing Conservation and forest fragmentation in the Amazon, amphibians, and wildlife management.