Laura A. Meyerson

Specialization

Biological invasions, invasion ecology, plant ecology, ecosystem processes, biodiversity change, and biosecurity. Bridges ecological research, policy, restoration ecology, and global assessments, with a particular focus on Phragmites australis as a model organism for understanding plant invasions.

Educational & Professional Background

Education

• Doctor of Forestry & Environmental Studies, Yale University
  Dissertation on ecosystem-level effects of invasive species, using Phragmites as a case study.
• Master of Forest Science, Yale University
  Research at NSF Long-Term Ecological Research sites in Puerto Rico on plant–soil interactions.
• Bachelor of Arts in Environmental Biology, City University of New York (Magna Cum Laude, Phi Beta Kappa).

Professional Experience

Internationally recognized scholar in invasion science with more than two decades of leadership in research, teaching, advisory roles, and global policy work. She has published extensively in leading journals (including Nature Communications, PNAS, New Phytologist, Annual Review of Ecology, Evolution and Systematics), produced books and global assessments, and contributed major datasets and conceptual frameworks that shaped the field of invasion ekology, and also has given numerous keynote lectures worldwide.

• Professor of Natural Resources Science at the University of Rhode Island.
• Visiting Scientist at the Institute of Botany, Czech Academy of Sciences.
• Research Associate at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History.
• AAAS Environmental Fellow at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the National Invasive Species Council.
• Editor-in-Chief, Biological Invasions (and previously Associate Editor, Deputy Editor-in-Chief).
• Coordinating Lead Author for the IPBES Assessment on Invasive Alien Species (global UN-level assessment).
• Fulbright Global Scholar with research residencies in South Africa, Argentina, and the Czech Republic.

At Forest Risk Research Centre

As a member of FISC (Forest Invasion Synthesis Centre, Prague), she contributes to synthesis efforts on global patterns, impacts, and management of biological invasions. Supports conceptual and large-scale comparative research, strengthens international collaboration, and helps integrate ecological evidence into decision-making and policy frameworks addressing invasive species.

Beyond Science

I enjoy spending time with my family and friends, cooking, traveling and knitting, and generally finding ways to make the world more sustainable.