L. Lacey Knowles focuses her research on studying the genetic consequences of rapid climate change. In particular, she focuses on how species distributions have shifted in response to past climate change (e.g., those associated with glacial cycles), studying how species characeristics (e.g., dispersal capabilities and degree of ecological specialization) shape patterns of genetic variation. She works in a variety of ecoystems, including the coastal dunes of the south-west coast of Australia, the "sky islands" of the Rocky Mountains, and the Amazon.