2026|Plenary Presenters
MONDAY: Plenary Session I
Pattern, Process, and Paradigm Shifts: Yellowstone and the Rise of Landscape Ecology
Monica G. Turner | Professor of Ecology; University of Wisconsin-Madsion
Monica G. Turner is the Eugene P. Odum Professor of Ecology and a Vilas Research Professor in the Department of Integrative Biology, University of Wisconsin-Madison. She is an ecosystem and landscape ecologist who received her PhD in Ecology (with Frank B. Golley) from the University of Georgia and organized the first US-IALE symposium in January 1986, soon after finishing graduate school. Her research blends field work, spatial analysis, and simulation modeling to address questions related to landscape disturbance dynamics, climate change, land-use change, forest resilience, biogeochemical cycling, and ecosystem services in wildland and working landscapes. Turner served US-IALE as program chair until 1989, president (1994-96), and local host for two annual meetings (1993 in Oak Ridge, TN and 2008 in Madison, WI). She is also a past president of the Ecological Society of America (ESA); recipient of ESA’s Robert H. MacArthur Award and Eminent Ecologist Award, and the Franklin Institute’s Benjamin Franklin Medal in Earth and Environmental Sciences; and a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and the US National Academy of Sciences.
Monica G. Turner is the Eugene P. Odum Professor of Ecology and a Vilas Research Professor in the Department of Integrative Biology, University of Wisconsin-Madison. She is an ecosystem and landscape ecologist who received her PhD in Ecology (with Frank B. Golley) from the University of Georgia and organized the first US-IALE symposium in January 1986, soon after finishing graduate school. Her research blends field work, spatial analysis, and simulation modeling to address questions related to landscape disturbance dynamics, climate change, land-use change, forest resilience, biogeochemical cycling, and ecosystem services in wildland and working landscapes. Turner served US-IALE as program chair until 1989, president (1994-96), and local host for two annual meetings (1993 in Oak Ridge, TN and 2008 in Madison, WI). She is also a past president of the Ecological Society of America (ESA); recipient of ESA’s Robert H. MacArthur Award and Eminent Ecologist Award, and the Franklin Institute’s Benjamin Franklin Medal in Earth and Environmental Sciences; and a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and the US National Academy of Sciences.
TUESDAY: Plenary Session II
An Unconfined Prospect: Resilience through Landscape Ecology and Conservation
Christi Lambert | Georgia Coastal and Marine Conservation Director; The Nature Conservancy
Christi Lambert is the Georgia Coastal and Marine Conservation Director for The Nature Conservancy (TNC). Over a 30‑year career, she has helped protect and steward more than 352,000 acres through land acquisitions and conservation easements and has led and implemented restoration and management efforts across forests, rivers, islands, shorelines, and estuaries.
At TNC, Lambert launched the Altamaha River Bioreserve, a nationally recognized, science‑ and community‑based, landscape‑scale watershed initiative. She has also served as TNC Georgia’s Director of Freshwater and Coastal Conservation and on statewide water and coastal policy committees. From resource management to chambers of commerce, Lambert has served in advisory roles collaborating to create healthy lands, waters, and communities. Working with TNC colleagues and partners, Lambert works to conserve landscapes from the Atlantic to Gulf regions.
A native Georgian from the Appalachian foothills, Lambert studied biology and chemistry at Shorter College and Berry College, and ecology and geography at the University of Georgia. Early in her career she served as the Rome-Floyd Heritage Riverways director leading an effort to protect and promote riverways for conservation, recreation, and community development. She is deeply committed to conserving diverse landscapes and waters for future generations.
Christi Lambert is the Georgia Coastal and Marine Conservation Director for The Nature Conservancy (TNC). Over a 30‑year career, she has helped protect and steward more than 352,000 acres through land acquisitions and conservation easements and has led and implemented restoration and management efforts across forests, rivers, islands, shorelines, and estuaries.
At TNC, Lambert launched the Altamaha River Bioreserve, a nationally recognized, science‑ and community‑based, landscape‑scale watershed initiative. She has also served as TNC Georgia’s Director of Freshwater and Coastal Conservation and on statewide water and coastal policy committees. From resource management to chambers of commerce, Lambert has served in advisory roles collaborating to create healthy lands, waters, and communities. Working with TNC colleagues and partners, Lambert works to conserve landscapes from the Atlantic to Gulf regions.
A native Georgian from the Appalachian foothills, Lambert studied biology and chemistry at Shorter College and Berry College, and ecology and geography at the University of Georgia. Early in her career she served as the Rome-Floyd Heritage Riverways director leading an effort to protect and promote riverways for conservation, recreation, and community development. She is deeply committed to conserving diverse landscapes and waters for future generations.
WEDNESDAY: Plenary Session III
Rethinking Landscape Ecology in a Metacoupled World
Jianguo "Jack" Liu| Professor; Michigan State University
Jianguo "Jack" Liu holds the Rachel Carson Chair in Sustainability, is a University Distinguished Professor at Michigan State University (MSU), and serves as the founding director of the Center for Systems Integration and Sustainability. Liu is a pioneer in systems integration for global sustainability. He has opened up and greatly advanced a number of new interdisciplinary frontiers, including the development and application of integrated frameworks for metacoupling and telecoupling. Many of his team’s pathbreaking findings have been translated into innovative policies and practices. His research has been published in journals such as Nature and Science, highlighted at international events such as the 2021 Nobel Prize Summit, featured in high-profile news media outlets such as Time magazine, and used by various stakeholders such as high-level officials of the United Nations. Liu has served in many leadership positions, including president of US-IALE (now IALE-NA) and founder and chair of the NASA-MSU Professional Enhancement Award Program since 1998, which has supported ~500 students and other junior scholars from more than 200 institutions around the globe. His accomplishments have been recognized by numerous awards (including the Distinguished Landscape Ecologist Award from US-IALE) and by election to the American Philosophical Society, National Academy of Sciences, American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and Royal Norwegian Society of Sciences and Letters.
Jianguo "Jack" Liu holds the Rachel Carson Chair in Sustainability, is a University Distinguished Professor at Michigan State University (MSU), and serves as the founding director of the Center for Systems Integration and Sustainability. Liu is a pioneer in systems integration for global sustainability. He has opened up and greatly advanced a number of new interdisciplinary frontiers, including the development and application of integrated frameworks for metacoupling and telecoupling. Many of his team’s pathbreaking findings have been translated into innovative policies and practices. His research has been published in journals such as Nature and Science, highlighted at international events such as the 2021 Nobel Prize Summit, featured in high-profile news media outlets such as Time magazine, and used by various stakeholders such as high-level officials of the United Nations. Liu has served in many leadership positions, including president of US-IALE (now IALE-NA) and founder and chair of the NASA-MSU Professional Enhancement Award Program since 1998, which has supported ~500 students and other junior scholars from more than 200 institutions around the globe. His accomplishments have been recognized by numerous awards (including the Distinguished Landscape Ecologist Award from US-IALE) and by election to the American Philosophical Society, National Academy of Sciences, American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and Royal Norwegian Society of Sciences and Letters.