Encouraged by her mother, Vanne, Goodall’s fascination with wild animals grew steadily and, when a friend invited her to Kenya in 1957, Jane readily accepted the offer. Within a few months of her arrival, Goodall met the famed anthropologist and paleontologist, Dr. Louis Leakey. One of Leakey’s interests was studying chimpanzees to gain insight into humans’ evolutionary past. Goodall’s patience and persistent desire to learn prompted Leakey to choose her for a pioneering chimp study in Gombe Stream Reserve.

Although it was unheard of for a woman to venture into the wilds of Africa, in the summer of 1960, Goodall traveled to Gombe to begin what would eventually become a 40-year study of chimpanzees in the wild.

A profoundly spiritual person, Goodall felt a strong connection to the forests of Gombe. "I think a forest is really my spiritual home. So, when I came to Gombe, I really was home. It’s a world that doesn’t change in a world of change. It’s my spiritual anchor."

Goodall married Baron Hugo van Lawick in 1964. (They were divorced in 1974.) In 1965 she earned her Ph.D. in Ethology from Cambridge University and returned to Tanzania to establish the Gombe Stream Research Center. Goodall’s profound scientific discoveries laid the foundation for all future primate studies. One of the many Goodall observations that captivated the world was that of chimpanzees making and using tools. This behavior was previously thought to separate humans from other animals. Over the years, Goodall’s studies have continued to show the many striking similarities between humans and chimpanzees.

Goodall’s son, Hugo Eric Louis (Grub) was born in 1967, the same year she was named scientific director of the Gombe Stream Research Center.

In 1975, Goodall married Hon. Derek Bryceson. Two years later, Goodall founded the Jane Goodall Institute for Wildlife Research, Education, and Conservation to provide ongoing support for field research on wild chimpanzees.

For her highly-respected work, Goodall has received numerous awards and honors, including, in 1995, a CBE (Commander of the British Empire), presented to her by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II; and the National Geographic Society Hubbard Medal. In 1996, Goodall received the Caring Institute Award; the William Proctor Prize for Scientific Achievement, awarded by Sigma XI; and the Tanzanian Kilimanjaro Medal presented to Goodall, the only non-Tanzanian to be awarded the Medal, by President Mwinyi. In addition, Goodall is the author of many books, including The Chimpanzees of Gombe: Patterns of Behavior, which, in 1986, established Goodall as the world’s leading primatologist; and Through a Window: 30 Years Observing the Gombe Chimpanzees, published in 1990 and translated into more than 15 languages.

Moved to action by the rapid disappearance of her beloved chimpanzees’ habitat, today, at age 65, Goodall is a tireless crusader, who travels around the world on behalf of the environment and Roots & Shoots, a program of the Jane Goodall Institute. Goodall created Roots & Shoots in 1991 to foster respect for all living creatures and to help young people learn how to improve their communities. "This kind of feeling of responsibility towards the environment or towards animals and people is something, which, unless it’s ingrained in children, is a very hard thing to do. That’s why I’m so passionate about Roots & Shoots. It’s about compassion, it’s about love, it’s about making the world around you a better place. And, if we can get this around the world into groups of children, then the world will be a better place."