Department/Institute: School of Geography and the Environment
Erle Ellis is Professor of Geography and Environmental Systems at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC) where he directs the Anthroecology Laboratory.
His research investigates the ecology of human landscapes at local to global scales to inform sustainable stewardship of the biosphere in the Anthropocene. His recent work examines long-term changes in Earth’s ecology produced by human societies through the concept of anthropogenic biomes, or anthromes, a term he introduced in 2008.
He has developed online tools for global synthesis of local knowledge (GLOBE) and inexpensive tools for mapping landscapes in 3D (Ecosynth). He is a Global Highly Cited Researcher, a UMBC Presidential Research Professor, a lead author on the IPBES Transformative Change Assessment, a Fellow of the Global Land Programme, a Senior Fellow of the Breakthrough Institute and a former member of the Anthropocene Working Group of the International Commission on Stratigraphy. He teaches environmental science and landscape ecology at UMBC and has taught ecology at Harvard’s Graduate School of Design. His first book, Anthropocene: A Very Short Introduction was published by Oxford University Press in 2018.
Flurina Wartmann is a social environmental geographer who focuses on human-nature relationships, with a particular interest on cultural landscape values and people-place relations. She uses digital media, public surveys, and participatory research methods, such as participatory mapping and GIS, to explore society-nature relations.
At the Leverhulme Centre for Nature Recovery, Flurina works on exploring the landscape aesthetics of nature recovery in the UK. This research will contribute to understand how perceptions about what the landscape ought to look like enable and constrain nature recovery.
Kay leads the knowledge exchange work of the Leverhulme Centre for Nature Recovery. She will be assisting researchers to develop strong links with stakeholders to enable greater impact for their research.
Cecilia compiles and manages Global Ecosystems Monitoring (GEM) data with a focus on the impact of the recent El Niño event. Her main interests include bottom-up approaches to ecosystem functioning and sustainable farming in the tropics. Particularly, Cecilia has been focusing on the role of decomposer organisms in both pristine and managed ecosystems around the world.
Huanyuan has special interest in applying mathematical modelling and remote sensing technique in studying the terrestrial carbon cycle. Before coming to Oxford, Huanyuan completed a dual-Bachelor Degree in Environmental science, University of Birmingham and Sun Yat-sen University. an MRes on Ecosystem and Environmental change, Imperial College London. Before coming to Oxford, Huanyuan previously worked on the CO2 fertilization effect on terrestrial ecosystem and land carbon sink modelling. Huanyuan is also a qualified PADI dive master.
Dr Emilie Vrain is a Senior Research Associate at the Environmental Change Institute, School of Geography and the Environment, Oxford. As a social scientist, her research uses both quantitative and qualitative methods, analysing factors which influence the adoption and use of digital low carbon innovations. Emilie currently works on the iDODDLE project funded by the European Research Council and is investigating the underlying mechanisms of digital daily life and the impacts on climate change.
I am an ecosystem scientist studying the interactions between biotic and abiotic components of the Earth System. I have in recent years become increasingly interested in the role large mammals play in shaping their own physical, chemical and biological environments, i.e. as ecosystem engineers. As I also want to make a difference outside academia, I have started collaborations with groups in Oxford (UK), Aarhus and Copenhagen (DK) to reveal the potential of megafauna rewilding for conserving and restoring biodiversity without compromising climate change mitigation goals.