Emilie Ens

Dr. Emilie Ens is an ARC Future Fellow at Macquarie University's School of Natural Sciences, where she leads the innovative and award-winning Cross-cultural Ecology Lab. She teaches in Environmental Management and has developed a vibrant research group focused on collaborative approaches to environmental science and management.

Dr. Ens completed her PhD at the University of Wollongong in 2007, followed by a Post Doc in Weed Ecology at Charles Darwin University. She began collaborating with Indigenous researchers through the Centre for Aboriginal Economic Policy Research at The Australian National University, developing new cross-cultural approaches to science and environmental management. She joined Macquarie University in 2013.

Her research spans multiple areas including invasive species management, fire ecology, wetlands, coastal floodplains, climate change adaptation, genetics, species modeling, and maintenance of cultural knowledge. Her work is characterized by genuine partnerships with Indigenous knowledge holders to develop cross-cultural understandings and management plans that respect both scientific and traditional knowledge systems.

Dr. Ens's research portfolio demonstrates a consistent focus on biocultural approaches to conservation, with recent publications addressing biocultural credit assessment frameworks, feral ungulate impacts on carbon cycling, citizen science applications in biodiversity assessment, and collaborative approaches in conservation genetics. Her work often centers on Australian ecosystems, particularly in remote Aboriginal Australia and Arnhem Land.

• 2017 Eureka Prize for Innovation in Citizen Science
• 2014 Banksia Award for Indigenous Leadership in Sustainability
• 2017 BHERT Award for Outstanding Collaboration for National (non-economic) Benefit
• 2015 Banksia Award
• 2017 CSIRO DNFC Indigenous Engagement Award
• 2017 Faculty of Science and Engineering Award for Excellence in Research

Dr. Ens actively mentors students and collaborates with Indigenous communities and ranger groups. She co-leads the Wuyagiba Bush Uni in the Northern Territory and serves on the Indigenous Working Group of the Ecological Society of Australia, the Indigenous Ally group of the Society of Ecosystem Restoration Australia, and as a Technical Advisory Group member for the Laynhapuy Indigenous Protected Area. She also contributes to academic discourse as an editorial board member for Ecological Management and Restoration and Sustainability journals.

Her research is supported by numerous grants, including the ARC Future Fellowship (FT23: "Back to our roots: Re-activating Indigenous biocultural conservation") and collaborative projects like "LP22: Restoring & future-proofing the biocultural values of endangered seagrasses." The Cross-cultural Ecology Lab has made significant impacts in both scientific understanding and practical applications for Indigenous-led conservation efforts.