Elena Litchman made ESA Fellow
Michigan State ecologist bestowed prestigious Ecological Society of America Fellowship.
A Michigan State University ecologist is one of eight new fellows in the Ecology Society of America (ESA).
The Ecological Society of America (ESA) confirmed eight new Fellows, including MSU Foundation Professor of Aquatic Ecology Elena Litchman. The ESA is one of the world’s premier ecological research and advocacy organizations, and the largest association of ecologists, with 9000 members worldwide.
Those members who make outstanding contributions to areas served by the ESA, including advancements in research, policymaking and non-profit impact, may be elected as fellows.
“I feel grateful for this recognition of my work and am excited to be a part of the group of ESA fellows,” said Litchman. “As ecologists, we have so many pressing challenges to tackle, such as understanding the resilience of ecosystems, from local lakes to the global ocean, and predicting how they will function under changing conditions. In tackling these challenges, I find combining the fundamental and applied perspectives in my research especially rewarding.”
The ESA’s fellowship program recognizes the many ways in which its members contribute to ecological research, communication, education, management and policy.
Litchman is a faculty member at Michigan State University’s W.K. Kellogg Biological Station and a professor in the department of Integrative Biology.
“Elena’s selection as an ESA Fellow is certainly well-deserved,” W.K. Kellogg Biological Station Director Jeffrey Connor said. “Her research record is stunning, and this is yet another major award recognizing this. Her work has pioneered the incorporation of organismal traits in understanding their ecology, as well as the impacts of global change on phytoplankton communities worldwide.”
ESA’s Fellows program was established in 2012 with the goal of honoring its members and supporting their competitiveness and advancement to leadership positions in the Society, at their institutions, and in broader society. Past ESA Fellows and Early Career Fellows are listed on the ESA Fellows page.
“It’s an honor to recognize this year’s Fellows and Early Career Fellows of ESA,” ESA President Stephanie Hampton said. “These individuals exemplify excellence in ecological science through their research, mentorship and service. Their leadership in advancing both knowledge and application of ecology strengthens our field and supports communities and ecosystems around the world. We applaud this cohort’s accomplishments and look forward to the continued impact of their work.”
Litchman is an ecologist interested in community assembly, resilience and eco-evolutionary responses of microbial communities to forces like anthropogenic global change. Her work examines the consequences of ecological change for biodiversity, biogeochemical cycles and ecosystem functioning around the world.
Having pioneered trait-based approaches to studying phytoplankton, she now extends those approaches to other microbial systems, from freshwater lakes to gut microbiota to algal synthetic communities.
She's received many awards and honors, among them the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers and the G. Evelyn Hutchinson Award from the Association for the Sciences of Limnology and Oceanography, where she is also a Fellow.
Litchman received her Ph.D. in Ecology from the University of Minnesota in 1997.
For a full list of fellows and early career fellows elected by ESA for 2025, read the Society’s full release.
ESA will formally acknowledge and celebrate its new Fellows for their exceptional achievements during a ceremony at the Society's 2025 Annual Meeting in Baltimore, Maryland.