Dr. Nussbaum is interested in the systematics, evolution, and ecology of amphibians and reptiles. He has published extensively on the the systematics of caecilians (Amphibia: Gymnophiona). His field research and curatorial activities have been focussed on the Pacific Northwest (U. S. and Canada), the Seychelles Archipelago, and recently Madagascar. His work in Madagascar involves biodiversity surveys of amphibians, reptiles, and small mammals in the diminishing forests of that large island. Much of his research is related to conservation issues, and he is director of an IUCN-Species Survival project aimed at assessing the status of the amphibian fauna of Madagascar and the Seychelles Archipelago. Dr. Nussbaum has had a long and continuing interest in the evolution of partental care, parental investment, demography, and life history strategies.