ABOUT THE GRANT
The Harold K. Voris Aquatic Snake Research & Conservation Grant is an on going grant by Herpetological Conservation International and named in honor of aquatic snake researcher and conservationist Dr. Harold K. Voris. It is dedicated to  funding important aquatic snake research and conservation endeavors and is granted on an occasional basis, as qualifying projects are submitted.

Due to the rather specific subject matter of the Harold K. Voris Aquatic Research & Conservation, the submission period is always open. The board of directors for Herpetological Conservation International retain full discretion as to which projects will receive the award, and how much will be awarded. Those interested in receiving the grant should visit the application page for details on how to apply. 

About Harold K. Voris
Harold K Voris was born and raised in the Chicago area. He received his PhD in Conservation Biology from the university of Chicago in 1969 and spent most of his career as the curator of amphibians and reptiles at the Field Museum Natural History, Chicago, 1984—2008. His research focused on the systematics, ecology, and conservation of aquatic snakes in collaboration with faculty and students from Asian and American institutions.

Dr. Voris investigated freshwater swamps and marine estuaries in Borneo and Thailand and mapped the rising and falling of sea levels in the area. This led to a greater understanding of gene flow in marine and freshwater snakes. He also produced multiple landmark papers on marine and freshwater snake ecology as well as the community ecology of southeast Asian amphibians and reptiles. His exploration of how aquatic snakes budget their activities between land and water provided insights into the evolution of snakes between terrestrial and aquatic environments.

Harold Voris’ research interests were not limited to vertebrates, he also worked with research associates W. B. Jeffries and C. M. Yang on the coevolutionary relationships between barnacles and sea snakes and the decapod crustaceans found in the sea adjacent to Singapore. His work was also instrumental in conservation policies surrounding sea snakes, with his work on sea snake harvest in the Gulf of Thailand and on the conservation status of marine elapids around the world.

Few have done so much in the field of aquatic snakes, and it Herpetological Conservation International's esteemed honor to have a grant recognizing such an important contributor to our understanding of these animals.