Lorraine Maltby
Freshwater Ecologist
Lorraine’s interest in freshwater ecology was ignited by an A-level ecology project on an urban canal and developed through a zoology degree at Newcastle University, a summer working at Ferry House with Malcolm Elliott, and a PhD at Glasgow University on life-history variation in leeches.
A NERC Fellowship took Lorraine to the University of Sheffield where her interests broadened to consider anthropogenic impacts on freshwater ecosystems. Loraine’s research has focussed on understanding the effects of environmental stressors on freshwater ecosystems and using this knowledge to better assess and manage ecological risks. Lorraine is a past member of the FBA Council and was elected Fellow of the Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry (SETAC) in 2016, in recognition of her contributions to environmental science.
Lorraine is currently Professor of Environmental Biology and Deputy Vice-President for Research and Innovation at the University of Sheffield. Her current research is concerned with understanding how chemical contaminants affect biodiversity and ecosystem services, with a particular focus on how this information can be used to inform environmental decision making and to influence the development and implementation of European environmental policy. She has an active research group and current research projects include: aquatic-riparian interactions, environmental chemicals and ecosystem services, climate change and pesticide risk, environmental impact of agri-plastics, spatially defined ecological risk assessment.
