Elena Litchman is a professor of aquatic ecology at Michigan State University known for her research on the consequences of global environmental change on phytoplankton.
[2] Following graduate work, Litchman held postdoctoral positions at the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center, the Swiss Federal Institute for Aquatic Science and Technology, and Rutgers University.
[8] Prior to these publications, trait-based ecology had been implemented in terrestrial science and Litchman was the first to apply these ideas to marine research.
[7][8] Litchman's research has examined the connection between the size of phytoplankton over evolutionary time and nutrient limitation[9] which, in turn, impacts marine food webs under changing climates.
[10] Through eco-evolutionary modeling, Litchman's research has shown that in the future warmer oceans will cause phytoplankton to shift towards polar regions.