Dr. Joanne Littlefair

Assistant Professor

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Biography

UKRI Future Leaders Fellow interested in the intersection of biodiversity, technology, and society at the new People Nature Lab at UCL East. She creates research on new ways to monitor and understand biodiversity to manage areas effectively for nature's benefit. Particularly focused on studying habitats heavily altered by human activity, her research employs new genetic technologies, primarily environmental DNA, providing an efficient method to analyze taxonomic groups with high spatial and temporal resolution. With a background in freshwater ecosystems and fisheries, Littlefair collaborates with a team to transfer these methods to terrestrial biomes and develop airborne eDNA sampling. Her thriving lab, funded by awards such as the Future Leaders Fellowship, NERC, Innovate UK, and Natural England, uses environmental genetics to investigate terrestrial biodiversity and responses to human impacts. Additionally, she explores ways to connect people with nature in their daily lives, making access to it more frequent, especially for underrepresented groups in the UK. Having worked with policy stakeholders, industry, NGOs, and community groups, she values collaborative scientific partnerships. In 2025, she will be honored with the Linnean Society's Bicentenary Medal for excellence in natural history research.

Research Interests

Experience

Lecturer

2024-01-01 — Present

University College London • London, United Kingdom

Teaching and researching in the Department of Genetics, Evolution & Environment.

Postdoctoral Fellow

2016-11-01 — 2019-09-01

McGill University • Montreal, Canada

Conducted research in the Department of Biology.

Awards

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Linnean Society's Bicentenary Medal

2025-01-01