Biography
Professor Aiah Lebbie is the Vice Chancellor & Principal of the University of Sierra Leone (USL). He also serves as Head of the National Herbarium of Sierra Leone at Njala University, where he holds a professorship in the Department of Biological Sciences.
A plant and conservation biologist by training, his academic research and teaching interests include the biodiversity and cultural anthropology of sacred groves; tropical plant ecology; Non-Timber Forest Products (NTFPs); ethnobotany of medicinal plants; ecological surveillance of high-consequence pathogens; ecotourism and protected-area management; environmental sustainability in conflict and post-conflict situations involving displacement and refugees; and the relationships among health, disease, traditional knowledge and medicinal plants.
Professor Lebbie has contributed to the discovery of several new plant species in Sierra Leone, particularly within the family Podostemaceae. Two taxa, Lebbiea grandiflora and Inversodicraea lebbiei, were named in his honour. His botanical work has contributed to the documentation and conservation of the unique plant diversity of the Upper Guinean Forest region.
From 2005 to 2013, he worked extensively in Liberia's forested regions, including environmental and conservation work associated with refugee and displaced-person communities. His work sought to reduce environmental pressures arising from displacement by promoting alternatives and sustainable practices.
Professor Lebbie has also taught and mentored Liberian students in biodiversity conservation. Beyond Liberia and Sierra Leone, he has conducted fieldwork on forest livelihoods, human displacement and rapid biodiversity assessment in several African countries, including Guinea, Côte d'Ivoire, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, The Gambia, Niger and Burkina Faso.
His expertise is particularly relevant to Liberia's priorities in conserving the Upper Guinean Forest ecosystem, strengthening cross-border biodiversity research, supporting ecological surveillance and developing the next generation of conservation scientists.