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Professor, IOZ

Prof. Nathalie Pettorelli

Role
Professor, IOZ
Area of work
Mitigating the impacts of climate change on biodiversity; Global biodiversity monitoring; Co-existence between wildlife and people
Specialisms
Nature-based solutions
Biodiversity monitoring
Satellite remote sensing
Rewilding
Climate change ecology
Science-backed policy solutions
Contact links
Nathalie.Pettorelli@ioz.ac.uk
LinkedIn
Twitter
Google Scholar
Google scholar

Nathalie's research helps inform environmental and wildlife management, supporting decision-makers in identifying options that are likely to best support nature recovery.

It also informs the emergence and framing of rewilding as a novel, science-based, environmental management approach that can add to the existing portfolio of nature-based solutions to tackle climate change.

Nathalie's work aims to address the loss of biological diversity by:

  1. Deepening our understanding of the processes driving this loss
  2. Identifying solutions that are likely to support nature recovery in times of rapid global environmental changes.

This work tends to be undertaken using remote sensing technologies, such as satellite remote sensing.

Nathalie's hope is to see biodiversity being brought back globally to levels last seen in the 1970s before she dies. She also wants to see a future where nature and humans both flourish, and where climate change is not threatening our lives, health and livelihoods.

Nathalie has a clear interest in promoting equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI) in science and technology. In 2011, she co-founded Soapbox Science, a public outreach platform for promoting women and non-binary scientists and the science they do.

If you are interested in joining Nathalie's team, or discussing collaboration, please do not hesitate to get in touch.

Qualifications and accreditations

Professional History

  • 01/2023-Present: Honorary Professor, University College London
  • 08/2022-Present: Professor, Institute of Zoology
  • 08/2016-2022: Senior Research Fellow, Institute of Zoology
  • 04/2009-08/2016: Research Fellow, Institute of Zoology
  • 08/2009-11/2009: Secondment to World Conservation Monitoring Centre (UNEP-WCMC)
  • 04/2006-03/2009: Postdoctoral Research Assistant position, Institute of Zoology
  • 09/2005-03/2006: Postdoctoral Research Fellow, University Laval, Québec
  • 12/2002-08/2005: Postdoctoral Research Fellow, University of Oslo, Norway

Education

  • 1999-2002: Ph.D. Thesis (UMR CNRS 5558, University Lyon I (France); State funded
  • 1998-1999: Advanced Graduate Degree (DEA) in Modelling of Biological Systems (University Lyon I)
  • 1997-1998: MSc, Population Biology and Ecosystems (University Paris VI, France)
  • 1996-1997: License, Biology of Organisms (University Paris VI, France)
  • 1994-1996: DEUG (General Studies University Diploma) in Biological Sciences (University of Strasbourg, France)

Prizes, Awards and Other Honours

  • 2025: Awarded Fellowship of the British Ecological Society (FBES)
  • 2024: Officer of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire, for services to Conservation and to Outreach
  • 2024: Named in the 2024 ENDS report power list for her work shaping the science on environmental issues
  • 2023: British Ecological Society Award, in recognition of exceptional service to the Society
  • 2016: ZSL Silver Medal for contributions to the understanding and appreciation of zoology
  • 2016: British Ecological Society Equality & Diversity Champion
  • 2015: Point of Light Award from the British Prime Minister
  • 2010: L’Oreal UNESCO Royal Society Fellowship (For Women in Science, FWIS)
  • 2003: Marie Curie Fellowship from the European Research Council

Appointments and Affiliations

  • Forestry England Forest Wilding Wild Areas Technical Advisory Group Member (2025-)
  • Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research (UFZ) Evaluation Committee Panel Member (2025)
  • National (Netherlands) Roadmap 2024 funding programme (Large-Scale Research Infrastructure) assessor (2025).
  • RSPB Conservation Advisory Committee Member (2024-)
  • BES Rewilding Special Interest Group Co-Chair (2024-)
  • Member of Defra’s Biodiversity Expert Committee (2023-)
  • Member of the Office for Environmental Protection College of Experts (2023-)
  • UN Convention on Migratory Species (CMS) Climate Change Working Group (2023-)
  • Scientific chair of the Evaluation Committee of the Biodiversa+ Call on “Improved transnational monitoring of biodiversity and ecosystem change for science and society” (BiodivMon; above 40M€ committed, 2023)
  • IUCN Rewilding Working Group co-chair (2021-)
  • Trends in Ecology and Evolution Advisory board member (2021-)
  • Durrell Conservation Committee (2020-2022)
  • Grant panel member for the French Foundation for Research on Biodiversity, Horizon 2020, NERC, Research Council of Norway, Polish Academy of Science; Member of the European Science Foundation College of Review.
  • President of the HCERES committee in charge of the evaluation of the Dynafor unit in Toulouse (INRA unit, 2019)
  • UK representative on the Programmes Board of the intergovernmental Group on Earth Observations (GEO, 2019-)
  • Annual global conservation horizon scan expert panel member (organised by Bill Sutherland, University of Cambridge; 2019-)
  • Topic Editor for Ecography (2019-2021).
  • JNCC Terrestrial Evidence review team (2018-2019)
  • GEO BON Ecosystem Function Working Group Lead (2016-2018)
  • BES (2016-2021) & SCB (2015-2017) Diversity Committee member.
  • Member at large of the SCB Board of Governors (2015-2017)
  • Editor in Chief for Remote Sensing in Ecology and Conservation (2014-)
  • Senior Editor for Journal of Applied Ecology (2014-2022), Animal Conservation (2008-2016) and Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society (2016-2021)
  • BES Policy Committee member (2014-2021)
  • BES Conservation Specialist Interest Group Chair (2014-2018)
  • IUCN Mangrove Specialist Group member (2013-)
  • Grant panel member for the French Foundation for Research on Biodiversity, EU Horizon, NERC, Research Council of Norway, Swedish Environmental Protection Agency, Polish Academy of Science, Portuguese Research Council
  • Member of the European Science Foundation College of Review. 
     
Press coverage
  • BBC Wildlife Magazine, “Scientists unveil 'blood test from space' – here's how it could help life on Earth” (2025)
  • Carbon Brief, “Can the world halt and reverse biodiversity loss by 2030?” (2023)
  • Can We Really Rewild the Planet? | The Future With Hannah (2023)
  • Daily Mail, “'Rewilding' cities by creating nature corridors and wild spaces could protect humanity against the worst impacts of climate change” (2022)
  • Evening Standard, “Climate crisis: The 5 biggest environmental challenges facing London as COP26 kicks off” (2021)
  • Channel 4 News, “Over a quarter of bird species in UK facing extinction” (2021)
  • BBC Wildlife Magazine, “How social media is helping monitor new species to Britain” (2019)
  • New Scientist, “Birds and insect species are heading north in the UK as climate warms” (2019)
  • Mongabay, “Data fusion opens new horizons for remote imaging of landscapes” (2018)
  • The Guardian, “Climate change: global reshuffle of wildlife will have huge impacts on humanity” (2017)
  • Mongabay, “Conservationists Want to Track Biodiversity — from Space” (2015)
  • Scientific America, “Can satellites track like on Earth from Space?” (2015)
  • BBC News, “Debate over rewilding is becoming 'polarised', experts warn” (2015)