Carl Sayer
Professor of Limnology & Freshwater Ecology, University College London
Carl carried out his PhD at Loughborough University, after which he moved to the Environmental Change Research Centre at University College London (UCL) where he was a NERC Fellow from 1998-2002. Since 2002 Carl has lectured at UCL. His research straddles palaeoecology, aquatic ecology, resurrection ecology and landscape and restoration ecology, but is unified by a common of aim of applying freshwater science findings to practical aquatic conservation and restoration action.
He is interested in floodplain meadows, ponds, lakes and rivers, with a particular passion for landscape-scale conservation. His biological expertise lies with diatom algae and macrophytes, but, due to a youth filled with fishing, he is also especially keen on the crucian carp and European eel for which he is leading local conservation initiatives, including the Norfolk Crucian Project. Carl leads the UCL Pond Restoration Research Group and is a founder member of the River Glaven Conservation Group in Norfolk and of the Norfolk Ponds Project. The latter project has been successfully delivering pond restoration all over Norfolk, especially in farmland. Carl is a science advisor to the Wildlife & Countryside Link “Blueprint for Water” Government lobby group and provides advice and support to several UK Conservation NGOs and Agencies, including Natural England, The Rivers Trusts and the National Trust.
Carl is passionate on the need to nurture younger researchers and prospective conservation leaders in the aquatic conservation field and since 2002 he has convened aquatic MSc courses at UCL, including the current MSc in Aquatic Conservation, Ecology & Restoration. He has been nominated for several teaching awards over his career and in 2021 he received the UCL Provosts’s Education award for Teaching in a Pandemic. Carl has acted as secretary for the wonderfully fun London Freshwater Group since 2006, which has always enjoyed a close and productive relationship with the FBA.
