GEE recruits Professor of Ecosystems and Biodiversity Research

Elli Leadbeater Biography

I’m an evolutionary ecologist. I’ve always had a core interest in the evolution of insect behaviour, and particularly the insect brain, but my recent work also encompasses applied ecological approaches to tackling insect declines. For example, while I’m interested in how learning and memory respond to ecological selection pressures, I also care about why those traits might be poorly adapted to the Anthropocene, and how such effects might be mitigated by challenging current environmental legislation. My main models are the social bees and wasps, and more recently also fruit flies. In terms of background, I finished my PhD at Queen Mary University of London in 2008, and following postdoctoral work at Sussex and the Institute of Zoology, have been based at Royal Holloway University of London for the past 11 years. I’m very excited to be joining UCL East in September.