A Georgia Tech alumna is the new zoo director of Chicago’s Lincoln Park Zoo — making her the first woman in the zoo’s 150-year history to hold that position.

Megan Ross, 44, earned her master’s degree in psychology in 1999 and followed with her Ph.D. in 2001. Her dissertation research, conducted at the Lincoln Park Zoo, focused on the effects of ultraviolet light on bird behavior.

Ross began her flight path at the Lincoln Park Zoo in 2000 and received multiple promotions over the years. 

She started as the Hope B. McCormick Curator of Birds, creating the collection plan for bird species at the zoo, performing noninvasive behavioral research and overseeing the bird department’s operations. 

She rose to the position of general curator in 2006 and became vice president of animal care in 2010. 

She launched ZooMonitor, an app dedicated to understanding the needs of animals and adjusting their care. It is used by more than 280 institutions in 26 countries.  

And last year she was named executive vice president, charged with supporting the zoo’s commitment to animal welfare, community engagement and conservation. 

Today she is the first zoo director since the institution privatized in 1995.

Learn more about Ross in Thursday’s announcement from the Lincoln Park Zoo.