Lori Lach

Professor Lori Lach is a leading ecologist specializing in invasive species, biosecurity, and ant ecology at James Cook University (JCU), where she holds academic roles including Associate Professor and Deputy Director of the ARC Plant Biosecurity Training Centre. She earned a Master’s in Environmental Health from UC Berkeley and a Ph.D. from Cornell University, focusing on biological invasions. Her research emphasizes invasive ant impacts, eDNA detection methods, and biodiversity conservation in tropical ecosystems.

Affiliations: Centre for Tropical Biosecurity (JCU), ARC Plant Biosecurity Training Centre (Deputy Director), IUCN Ant Specialist Group, and National Exotic Invasive Ant Scientific Advisory Group.

Research Interests: Invasive species management, ant ecology, environmental DNA applications, climate change effects on insects, and biosecurity strategies. Her work bridges theoretical ecology with applied conservation, addressing real-world challenges like yellow crazy ant eradication and bee disease.

Grants & Projects: Overseen major grants including ARC Industrial Transformation Training Centre in Plant Biosecurity, eDNA-based ant detection projects, and studies on drought effects on invertebrates.

Awards: Ian Mackerras Medal (2022), TropEco Award (2018), and Froggatt Award for invasive species communication (2015).

Labs/Teams: Leads the Insect Ecology group at JCU, focusing on biosecurity, eDNA tools, and ant-plant interactions.