Head and Wm. L. Brown Curator:

Rainer Bussmann is an ethnobotanist, vegetation ecologist, and conservationist. He holds a Ph.D. from University of Bayreuth, and a M.S. from University of Tübingen (Germany). Before coming to the WLBC, Dr. Bussmann held academic appointments as a Research Fellow in Geography and the Environment at UT Austin, Associate Professor and Scientific Director of Harold Lyon Arboretum at University of Hawaii, and as Assistant Professor at University of Bayreuth. Currently, Dr Bussmann focuses his efforts on ethnobotanical research and the preservation of the ecological diversity and cultural heritage in threatened regions of South America, East Africa, the Middle East and South Asia.
email: rainer.bussmann@mobot.org
webpage: click here

 

 

Staff Photos

Alice H. Brown Curator of Ethnobotany:

Jan Salick, Ph.D., works on ecological ethnobotany, in situ indigenous management and conservation of cassava germplasm, and in situ sustainability of Tibetan plant genetic resources in southwestern China. She is a Past President of the Society for Economic Botany and on the boards of the Association for Ttropical Biology and International Union of Biological Sciences, and on the Committee on Traditional Knowledge and Science of the International Council of Scientific Unions.
email: jan.salick@mobot.org
webpage: click here

 




Jan Salick

 

Associate Curator:

Armand Randrianasolo, Ph.D., is an authority on the flora of Madagascar, particularly members of the cashew family, Anacardiaceae.
email: armand.randrianasolo@mobot.org
webpage: click here

 

 


Armand
Randrianasolo

 

Assistant Curators:

Wendy Applequist, Ph.D., works on the authentication, taxonomy, conservation, and chemical variability of medicinal plants and conducts systematic studies of endemic plants of Madagascar.
email: wendy.applequist@mobot.org
webpage: click here

 




Wendy
Applequist

 

Martin W. Callmander, Ph. D., coordinates conservation and research activities in Madagascar. He helps the International Cooperative Biodiversity Group to undertake education and research efforts to improve biodiversity knowledge in Northern Madagascar. He is an authority on the Pandanaceae of Madagascar.
email: martin.callmander@mobot-mg.org
webpage: click here

 


Martin Callmander

 

Research Fellows:

Suneeti Jog, Ph.D., earned her B.S. and M.S. (with distinction) at the Univ. of Mumbai, and her Ph.D. at
Cleveland State Univ. For her fellowship, she is conducting a survey of the vascular plants of the Sahyadri Mountains in India’s Western Ghats. Many of these plants are used by local inhabitants but there is little mention of this indigenous knowledge in the ethnobotanical literature. The data gathered should be useful for future conservation efforts

 

 

 


Suneeti Jog

 

Shonil Bhagwat, Ph.D., earned his Ph.D. at Oxford University, where he was a Rhodes Scholar. After graduation, he held a post-doc for three years at the Natural History Museum in London as part of the Biodiversity World Project. He currently hold a post-doc at Oxford University Centre for the Environment. At the WLBC, he will survey the biodiversity of a number of sacred sites in India in order to assess the effects of climate change on mountain tops in the Himalayas.


Shonil Bhagwat

 

Research Specialists:

Roger Lala Andriamiarisoa, DEA, assists Fidy Ratovoson. In addition to being a botanist, he is a fine artist and illustrated the Guide to the Ferns of Zahamena. He is in the process of illustrating the Guide to the Woody Plants of Zahamena.
email: roger.andriamiarisoa@mobot-mg.org

 


Roger Lala
Andriamiarisoa

 

Mamisoa Andrianajafy, DEA, coordinates fieldwork for the International Cooperative Biodiversity Group in Madagascar.
email: mamisoa.andrianjafy@mobot-mg.org

 


Mamisoa
Andrianajafy

 

Bee Gunn, M.S., works on alpine flora of NW Yunnan, China, genetic diversity and domestication of the coconut and systematics of the Arecaceae (Palmae). She has made numerous trips to the Khawa Karpo Mountains and the Caribbean. She is a member of the American Soc. of Plant Taxonomists, International Soc. of Ethnobiology, and the International Palm Soc.
email: bee.gunn@mobot.org
webpage: click here

 


Bee Gunn

 

Karen Meyer received a B.S. in Botany from BYU and an M.S. in Biological Sciences from SD State Univ. She has conducted field research in the Kingdom of Tonga, West Africa, and Bolivia. At the WLBC, she will be identifying and collecting plants of North America for the ongoing collaboration projects with NCNPR at the Univ. of Mississippi.
email: karen.meyer@mobot.org


Karen Meyer

 

Fidy Ratovoson, DEA, coordinates the botanical inventory of Zahamena in eastern Madagascar and collection of samples for the International Cooperative Biodiversity Group. He is an authority on the flora of eastern Madagascar.
email: fidy.ratovoson@mobot-mg.org

 

 


Fidy Ratovoson

 

Richard Randrianaivo, DEA, coordinates fieldwork for the National Cancer Institute in Madagascar. He is authority on the Sapotaceae of Madagascar.
email: richard.randrianaivo@mobot-mg.org


Richard Randrianaivo

 

Alyse Rothrock, BS in Antrhopology and Environmental Studies, manages the DNA Bank, maintains various databases, and is organizing the ICBG Madagascar collections. She is interested in the use of herbs and the practice of traditional medicine in Central America.
email: alyse.rothrock@mobot.org


Alyse Rothrock

 

Andrew Townesmith, MS in Botany. The focus of his work has been the relationship between people and plants. He is also interested in biodiversity informatics., esp. enhancing access to the biodiversity data that is currently available. He has done field work in the Northwestern US, New England, and Central America.
email: andrew.townesmith@mobot.org


Andrew Townesmith

 

Gretchen Walters, M.S., coordinates field activities in Central Africa. Currrent projects include an inventory of the Batéké Plateaux National Park, collaboration on the Gabon Checklist (with WAG, LBV, P), botanical training in Cameroon, and editing Floristic Studies in Tropical Africa. She has conducted fieldwork in Gabon, Costa Rica, and the United States.
email: gretchen.walters@mobot.org
webpage: click here

 


Gretchen Walters

 

Support Staff:

Barbara Alongi, B.A., Fine Arts, is the WLBC's botanical illustrator.
email: barbara.alongi@mobot.org

 




Barbara Alongi

 

Lauren Koenig is the senior secretary of the WLBC.
email: lauren.koenig@mobot.org

 


Lauren Koenig

 

Bruce Ponman, B.A., is the WLBC's web developer.
email: bruce.ponman@mobot.org


Bruce Ponman

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