Emily Strange is an ecologist whose work is grounded in conservation biology, invasion ecology and ecosystem resilience.

More information about Emily Strange

Professional experience

Emily graduated in 2011 from Manchester Metropolitan University (UK) with a BSc. in Conservation Biology before completing her MSc. in Biodiversity and Conservation at the University of Leeds (UK). During this time her interests in invasive plant biology and ecology grew as she worked on the invasive fig tree Ficus microcarpa and its associated wasp communities in Brazil. Emily completed her PhD in South Africa (Rhodes University) exploring the impact of biological control methods used to manage floating invasive aquatic plants on the native submerged plant communities and what these mean for the management and conservation of vital freshwater systems. In 2017, following her graduation, she worked as an Associate Lecturer and research project co-ordinator at Manchester Metropolitan University, co-developing a research project on invasive plant establishment and spread in the Ngorongoro Conservation Area of Tanzania. Whilst continuing this research development she was appointed Lecturer in Conservation Biology at Liverpool John Moores University (UK) from 2018-2019 prior to her present appointment as Assistant Professor at Leiden University.  Emily teaches on both BSc. and MSc. programmes including Conservation Biology, Sustainable Development and Governance of Water & Toxicity.

Emily is vice-chair of the British Ecological Society Invasion Science special interest group and has worked as a mentor for the society’s Women in Ecology mentoring programme.

Research topic

Emily’s current research is focused on the non-linear restoration of ecosystems degraded by the establishment and spread of invasive plant species. She is particularly interested in how native plant communities respond to the control of invasive species and how these responses can be quantified and incorporated into sustainable management of resilient systems. Emily works on both aquatic and terrestrial systems predominantly in South Africa and Tanzania.

For an overview of the publications of Emily's work before CML, please follow  this link. 

Publications