A researcher in the School of Biosciences has been recognised by the British Ecological Society for her outstanding ecological research, as well as her championing of interdisciplinary ways of working and her efforts to ensure conservation policy and practice are evidence based.
Professor Sue Hartley, who is also the University of Sheffield's Vice-President for Research, has been awarded an Honorary Membership of the society, which recognises exceptional contributions at an international level to the generation, communication and promotion of ecological knowledge and solutions.
Sue is a past President of the British Ecological Society (BES), which is the oldest ecological society in the world, founded in 1913, and has thousands of members from more than 120 countries. The Society promotes the study of ecology through academic journals, conferences, grants, education initiatives and policy work.
Sue has been granted the Honorary Membership alongside three other distinguished ecologists who fulfill the criteria for this award,which include an outstanding body of internationally recognised research and exceptional contributions to the communication and promotion of ecology and to the academic community.
The number of Honorary Members at any one time is limited to approximately one per cent of the Society’s membership, so Sue has now joined an exclusive list of people recognised for their work benefiting the scientific community and society in general, including Sir David Attenborough, Lord John Krebs of Wytham, Professor Sir John Lawton and Professor Sir David Read.
On receiving the award, Sue said: “I’m absolutely overwhelmed by this fantastic honour - I couldn’t be more delighted with this award and I regard it as the pinnacle of my ecological career. I have a long association with the British Ecological Society, which I joined while I was still a PhD student.”
Along with other winners, Sue will be presented with her award during a ceremony held at Ecology Across Borders in Liverpool, which will bring together more than a thousand ecologists to discuss the latest advances in ecological research across the whole discipline.
Professor Jane Memmott, President of the British Ecological Society, said: “The BES awards recognise and celebrate the extraordinary contributions of individuals and groups to advancing ecology and communicating its importance for society. This year’s winners are no exception, and I am delighted to offer my congratulations to each and every one of them.”
Sue’s impressive career began at the University of Oxford, where she completed a BSc in Biochemistry, before her PhD in Ecology at the University of York followed by research on plant-animal interactions at the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology and the University of Sussex.
She has since served as the founding Director of the York Environmental Sustainability Centre at the University of York, and on numerous scientific advisory boards and public bodies, including the GMO panel of the European Food Safety Authority, the board of Natural England, and as a trustee at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.
With a research career spanning almost 35 years, Honorary Membership is the latest addition to a long list of achievements, ranging from being awarded an OBE for services to ecological research and public engagement, to becoming only the fourth woman to deliver the Royal Institution Christmas lectures since they were founded in 1825.
At the University of Sheffield, Sue leads the University’s research activity as Vice-President of Research, as well as conducting her own research on plant ecology, sustainable agriculture and environmental policy.