James Watson Porter (born 5 October 1946) is an American ecologist.
[1] He earned an undergraduate and doctoral degree from Yale University in 1969 and 1973, respectively.
[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.
[1][6] In 2012, the Ecological Society of America awarded him fellow status.