EDUCATION
2012 – 2017 PhD in Geography (Peatland Biogeochemistry)
Department of Geography, McGill University, Montreal, Canada
2004 – 2005 MSc Sustainable Land Management and Rural Development (with merit)
University of Newcastle Upon-Tyne, UK
2001 – 2004 BSc (2:1 Honours) Environmental Geoscience
University of Durham, UK
RESEARCH AND PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
2022 - Scientist and Program Lead - Forests, Peatlands and Climate Change
Wildlife Conservation Society Canada
2019 - 2022 Postdoctoral Fellow (Catchment and Wetland Sciences)
Department of Renewable Resources, University of Alberta, Canada
2017 - 2019 Postdoctoral Fellow (Ecohydrology)
School of Geography and Earth Sciences, McMaster University, Canada
2012 - 2017 PhD Research (Peatland Biogeochemistry)
Department of Geography, McGill University, Canada
2006 - 2012 Wetland Ecologist/Senior Scientist, Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA), UK
In this national role for SEPA I provided specialist scientific and policy advice for wetland related issues in regulation, planning, and the EU Water Framework Directive.
2006 Senior Scientist, Environment Agency of England and Wales
Assessing damage to saltmarsh in England and Wales using remote sensing techniques.
2005 - 2006 Project Officer, Environment Agency of England and Wales
North East England Wetland Feasibility Study (GIS based research project).
GRANTS AND FELLOWSHIPS
2020 Alberta Conservation Association Research Grant
2017 Stanfield Dissertation Fellowship, McGill University
2013 to 2015 W. Garfield Weston Foundation Fellowship for Northern Conservation, administered by Wildlife Conservation Society Canada
2015 David Erb Fellowship, McGill University
2012 Global Environmental and Climate Change Centre (GEC3) Student Network Grant
SELECTED CONFERENCES
Oral Presentations
2021 - Harris, L.I. Ray, J., O'Connor, C., and Cheechoo, V. The essential carbon service provided by northern peatlands and the case study of the Hudson Bay Lowland. Session in Peatland Pavilion at COP26, Glasgow, UK (online).
2021 – Harris L.I., Olefeldt, D., and others. The changing North: Developing a conceptual framework for ecosystem state shifts in thawing and burned permafrost peatlands. Mer Bleue and Beyond Peatland Science Meeting, Montreal, Canada (online).
2020 - Harris L.I., Olefeldt, D., Pelletier, N., Blodau, C.B., Knorr, K-H., Talbot, J., and Turetsky, M.R. Estimating the magnitude of carbon loss due to permafrost thaw in boreal peatlands. American Geophysical Union (AGU) Fall Meeting, online.
2020 - Harris, L.I., Richardson, K., Ray, J., and others. Northern peatlands in Canada: An essential carbon service. Canadian Geophysical Union (CGU) online seminar series - 19 June (in place of cancelled in-person CGU meeting due to COVID-19 pandemic).
2019 - Harris, L.I., Markle, C.E., Moore, P.M., North, T., and Waddington, J.M. Ecohydrology constrains microform development in small basin peatlands. European Geosciences Union (EGU) General Assembly, Vienna, Austria.
2018 - Harris, L.I., Roulet, N. T., and Moore, T.R. An ombrogenous bog in the Hudson Bay Lowland demonstrates resilience to short-term drainage. Canadian Geophysical Union (CGU) meeting, Niagara Falls, Canada.
2016 - Harris, L.I., Roulet, N.T., and Moore, T.R. Sensitivity of peatlands of the Hudson Bay Lowland to climate change. Ecological Society of America (ESA) meeting, Fort Lauderdale, Florida, US.
2015 - Harris, L.I, Moore, T.R., and Roulet, N.T. The role of lichen on peatland development in the Hudson Bay Lowlands, Canada. European Geosciences Union (EGU) General Assembly, Vienna, Austria.
Poster Presentations
2022 – Harris, L.I, and O’Connor, C. Quantifying the essential carbon service provided by the Hudson Bay Lowland peatlands. Hudson Bay Summit 2022, Montreal, Canada.
2016 - Harris, L.I., Moore, T.R., Bourgault, M.A., O.Dallaire, C., Robinson, B., and Talbot, J. Quantifying the capacity of Canadian peatlands for the provision of ecosystem services. Mer Bleue Peatland Workshop, McGill University, Montreal, Canada.
2014 - Harris, L.I., Roulet, N.T., and Moore, T.R. The structure and function of peatlands in the Hudson Bay Lowlands - comparing a pristine and a hydrologically impacted site. American Geophysical Union (AGU) Fall Meeting, San Francisco, US.
2010 - Harris, L.I. A Functional Wetland Typology for Scotland. SAC-SEPA Biennial Conference: Climate, Water and Soil: Science, Policy and Practice, Edinburgh, UK.
2008 - Harris, L.I. Groundwater Dependent Terrestrial Ecosystems (GWDTE) – assessment of significant damage. Society of Wetland Scientists (SWS) Annual Conference, Washington DC, US.
INVITED TALKS
2022 – Quantifying the essential carbon service provided by the Hudson Bay Lowland peatlands. Invited talk for AGU Fall Meeting session ‘Carbon Cycling in Global Peatlands’, AGU December 2022, Chicago (online).
2022 – Protecting global peatlands for climate and biodiversity. Invited talk for session organised by IUCN and partners in Canada Pavilion at COP15, Montreal, Canada.
2022 – Protecting peatlands in Canada for climate and biodiversity. Invited talk for session organised by IUCN and partners in Nature Positive Pavilion at COP15, Montreal, Canada.
2022 – Effects of mining on peatlands. Invited talk for “Critical Minerals and the Climate” seminar and panel discussion organised by the Environmental Justice and Sustainability Clinic at Osgoode Hall Law School, York University, Toronto (online).
2022 - A hummocky path: connecting science and policy for peatland protection and management. Invited talk for Peat ECR network seminar series ‘Peat Talks’ (online).
2021 - Peatlands in Canada. Invited talk for 'Peatland rights and cultures' session organised by the Scottish Government in the Peatland Pavilion at COP26, Glasgow, UK (online).
2021 - Forested Peatlands in Canada. Invited talk for 'Why intact forests for climate change?' session organised by Wildlife Conservation Society in N4C + IUCN Nature Zone at COP26, Glasgow, UK (online).
2021 - Peatlands of the Hudson Bay Lowland: an essential global carbon service. Guest talk for Mushkegowuk Council (Terrestrial Working Group - online).
2020 - Peatlands in Canada: linking science, policy, and practice to protect an essential carbon service. Invited talk for the Ducks Unlimited Canada (DUC) Wetland Knowledge Exchange webinar series (online).
2016 - Invited speaker with Prof. Nigel Roulet for the McGill Faculty of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences ‘Food for Thought’ public lecture series – ‘Canada’s huge peatland carbon stores’. McGill University, Montreal, Canada.
2016 - Invited panel speaker at the Science for a Sustainable Society Symposium, McGill University, Montreal, Canada.
2014 - Environmental Impact Assessment Case Study: Wind Farms on Peatland. Guest talk for Environmental Management Summer Course (GEOG380), McGill University, Montreal, Canada.
2014 - Stakeholders and Participatory Approaches. Case Study: Trump Golf Course, Scotland. Guest talk for Environmental Management Summer Course (GEOG380), McGill University, Montreal, Canada.
2013 - Peatland Restoration on Development Sites. Guest talk at BBA Consulting, Montreal, Canada.
2012 - Peatland, wind farms, and the aquatic environment. Guest talk at Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE) Scottish Hydrological Group evening seminar, Royal Society of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK.
2011 - The purpose of peatland restoration – a regulatory overview. Invited speaker at Carbon Landscape and Drainage (CLAD) network meeting, Glasgow University, UK.
2009 - Climate Change and Land Management – SEPA’s role. Invited speaker at inaugural Carbon Landscape and Drainage (CLAD) network meeting, Glasgow University, UK.
2009 - Wetlands and wind farms in Scotland. Invited speaker at ‘Wetland Vision Workshop’ for Cairngorms National Park Authority (CNPA), Aviemore, Scotland, UK.
2009 - Wind farms on peatlands. Invited speaker and panel member at SNH ‘Sharing Good Practice Event: Good Practice during Wind Farm Construction’, Battleby, Scotland, UK.
OTHER TALKS
2015 - Diamonds, Dragonflies, and Dirt: Peatland Research in the Hudson Bay Lowland. Graduate research talk as part of informal lunchtime seminar series, Department of Geography, McGill University (2015, January).
CONFERENCE AND WORKSHOP ORGANISER
ArcticNet Annual Scientific Meeting, Canada (Online). Topical Session - Permafrost thaw and its hydrological and biogeochemical impacts. (December 2021 - Co-chair).
Canadian Geophysical Union (CGU) Meeting, Banff, Canada. Biogeosciences Session - Disturbance impacts across boreal and subarctic wetlands and peatlands. (May 2020 – Co-convener and co-chair – cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic).
McGill Sustainability Research Symposium (Fifth Edition). Closing the Loop. (March 2015 – Project lead).
McGill Sustainability Research Symposium (Fourth Edition). Water and Sustainability: Ideas, Research, Action! (March 2014 – Academic Lead).
Wetlands International Symposium. Wetlands Matter: valuing wetland ecosystems in a changing climate. (February, 2011 – SEPA representative , co-organiser).
2022 - Scientist and Program Lead - Forests, Peatlands and Climate Change
Wildlife Conservation Society Canada
2019 - 2022 Postdoctoral Fellow (Catchment and Wetland Sciences)
Department of Renewable Resources, University of Alberta, Canada
2017 - 2019 Postdoctoral Fellow (Ecohydrology)
School of Geography and Earth Sciences, McMaster University, Canada
2012 - 2017 PhD Research (Peatland Biogeochemistry)
Department of Geography, McGill University, Canada
2006 - 2012 Wetland Ecologist/Senior Scientist, Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA), UK
In this national role for SEPA I provided specialist scientific and policy advice for wetland related issues in regulation, planning, and the EU Water Framework Directive.
2006 Senior Scientist, Environment Agency of England and Wales
Assessing damage to saltmarsh in England and Wales using remote sensing techniques.
2005 - 2006 Project Officer, Environment Agency of England and Wales
North East England Wetland Feasibility Study (GIS based research project).
GRANTS AND FELLOWSHIPS
2020 Alberta Conservation Association Research Grant
2017 Stanfield Dissertation Fellowship, McGill University
2013 to 2015 W. Garfield Weston Foundation Fellowship for Northern Conservation, administered by Wildlife Conservation Society Canada
2015 David Erb Fellowship, McGill University
2012 Global Environmental and Climate Change Centre (GEC3) Student Network Grant
SELECTED CONFERENCES
Oral Presentations
2021 - Harris, L.I. Ray, J., O'Connor, C., and Cheechoo, V. The essential carbon service provided by northern peatlands and the case study of the Hudson Bay Lowland. Session in Peatland Pavilion at COP26, Glasgow, UK (online).
2021 – Harris L.I., Olefeldt, D., and others. The changing North: Developing a conceptual framework for ecosystem state shifts in thawing and burned permafrost peatlands. Mer Bleue and Beyond Peatland Science Meeting, Montreal, Canada (online).
2020 - Harris L.I., Olefeldt, D., Pelletier, N., Blodau, C.B., Knorr, K-H., Talbot, J., and Turetsky, M.R. Estimating the magnitude of carbon loss due to permafrost thaw in boreal peatlands. American Geophysical Union (AGU) Fall Meeting, online.
2020 - Harris, L.I., Richardson, K., Ray, J., and others. Northern peatlands in Canada: An essential carbon service. Canadian Geophysical Union (CGU) online seminar series - 19 June (in place of cancelled in-person CGU meeting due to COVID-19 pandemic).
2019 - Harris, L.I., Markle, C.E., Moore, P.M., North, T., and Waddington, J.M. Ecohydrology constrains microform development in small basin peatlands. European Geosciences Union (EGU) General Assembly, Vienna, Austria.
2018 - Harris, L.I., Roulet, N. T., and Moore, T.R. An ombrogenous bog in the Hudson Bay Lowland demonstrates resilience to short-term drainage. Canadian Geophysical Union (CGU) meeting, Niagara Falls, Canada.
2016 - Harris, L.I., Roulet, N.T., and Moore, T.R. Sensitivity of peatlands of the Hudson Bay Lowland to climate change. Ecological Society of America (ESA) meeting, Fort Lauderdale, Florida, US.
2015 - Harris, L.I, Moore, T.R., and Roulet, N.T. The role of lichen on peatland development in the Hudson Bay Lowlands, Canada. European Geosciences Union (EGU) General Assembly, Vienna, Austria.
Poster Presentations
2022 – Harris, L.I, and O’Connor, C. Quantifying the essential carbon service provided by the Hudson Bay Lowland peatlands. Hudson Bay Summit 2022, Montreal, Canada.
2016 - Harris, L.I., Moore, T.R., Bourgault, M.A., O.Dallaire, C., Robinson, B., and Talbot, J. Quantifying the capacity of Canadian peatlands for the provision of ecosystem services. Mer Bleue Peatland Workshop, McGill University, Montreal, Canada.
2014 - Harris, L.I., Roulet, N.T., and Moore, T.R. The structure and function of peatlands in the Hudson Bay Lowlands - comparing a pristine and a hydrologically impacted site. American Geophysical Union (AGU) Fall Meeting, San Francisco, US.
2010 - Harris, L.I. A Functional Wetland Typology for Scotland. SAC-SEPA Biennial Conference: Climate, Water and Soil: Science, Policy and Practice, Edinburgh, UK.
2008 - Harris, L.I. Groundwater Dependent Terrestrial Ecosystems (GWDTE) – assessment of significant damage. Society of Wetland Scientists (SWS) Annual Conference, Washington DC, US.
INVITED TALKS
2022 – Quantifying the essential carbon service provided by the Hudson Bay Lowland peatlands. Invited talk for AGU Fall Meeting session ‘Carbon Cycling in Global Peatlands’, AGU December 2022, Chicago (online).
2022 – Protecting global peatlands for climate and biodiversity. Invited talk for session organised by IUCN and partners in Canada Pavilion at COP15, Montreal, Canada.
2022 – Protecting peatlands in Canada for climate and biodiversity. Invited talk for session organised by IUCN and partners in Nature Positive Pavilion at COP15, Montreal, Canada.
2022 – Effects of mining on peatlands. Invited talk for “Critical Minerals and the Climate” seminar and panel discussion organised by the Environmental Justice and Sustainability Clinic at Osgoode Hall Law School, York University, Toronto (online).
2022 - A hummocky path: connecting science and policy for peatland protection and management. Invited talk for Peat ECR network seminar series ‘Peat Talks’ (online).
2021 - Peatlands in Canada. Invited talk for 'Peatland rights and cultures' session organised by the Scottish Government in the Peatland Pavilion at COP26, Glasgow, UK (online).
2021 - Forested Peatlands in Canada. Invited talk for 'Why intact forests for climate change?' session organised by Wildlife Conservation Society in N4C + IUCN Nature Zone at COP26, Glasgow, UK (online).
2021 - Peatlands of the Hudson Bay Lowland: an essential global carbon service. Guest talk for Mushkegowuk Council (Terrestrial Working Group - online).
2020 - Peatlands in Canada: linking science, policy, and practice to protect an essential carbon service. Invited talk for the Ducks Unlimited Canada (DUC) Wetland Knowledge Exchange webinar series (online).
2016 - Invited speaker with Prof. Nigel Roulet for the McGill Faculty of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences ‘Food for Thought’ public lecture series – ‘Canada’s huge peatland carbon stores’. McGill University, Montreal, Canada.
2016 - Invited panel speaker at the Science for a Sustainable Society Symposium, McGill University, Montreal, Canada.
2014 - Environmental Impact Assessment Case Study: Wind Farms on Peatland. Guest talk for Environmental Management Summer Course (GEOG380), McGill University, Montreal, Canada.
2014 - Stakeholders and Participatory Approaches. Case Study: Trump Golf Course, Scotland. Guest talk for Environmental Management Summer Course (GEOG380), McGill University, Montreal, Canada.
2013 - Peatland Restoration on Development Sites. Guest talk at BBA Consulting, Montreal, Canada.
2012 - Peatland, wind farms, and the aquatic environment. Guest talk at Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE) Scottish Hydrological Group evening seminar, Royal Society of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK.
2011 - The purpose of peatland restoration – a regulatory overview. Invited speaker at Carbon Landscape and Drainage (CLAD) network meeting, Glasgow University, UK.
2009 - Climate Change and Land Management – SEPA’s role. Invited speaker at inaugural Carbon Landscape and Drainage (CLAD) network meeting, Glasgow University, UK.
2009 - Wetlands and wind farms in Scotland. Invited speaker at ‘Wetland Vision Workshop’ for Cairngorms National Park Authority (CNPA), Aviemore, Scotland, UK.
2009 - Wind farms on peatlands. Invited speaker and panel member at SNH ‘Sharing Good Practice Event: Good Practice during Wind Farm Construction’, Battleby, Scotland, UK.
OTHER TALKS
2015 - Diamonds, Dragonflies, and Dirt: Peatland Research in the Hudson Bay Lowland. Graduate research talk as part of informal lunchtime seminar series, Department of Geography, McGill University (2015, January).
CONFERENCE AND WORKSHOP ORGANISER
ArcticNet Annual Scientific Meeting, Canada (Online). Topical Session - Permafrost thaw and its hydrological and biogeochemical impacts. (December 2021 - Co-chair).
Canadian Geophysical Union (CGU) Meeting, Banff, Canada. Biogeosciences Session - Disturbance impacts across boreal and subarctic wetlands and peatlands. (May 2020 – Co-convener and co-chair – cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic).
McGill Sustainability Research Symposium (Fifth Edition). Closing the Loop. (March 2015 – Project lead).
McGill Sustainability Research Symposium (Fourth Edition). Water and Sustainability: Ideas, Research, Action! (March 2014 – Academic Lead).
Wetlands International Symposium. Wetlands Matter: valuing wetland ecosystems in a changing climate. (February, 2011 – SEPA representative , co-organiser).