Julián Aguirre-Santoro

Julián Aguirre-Santoro

Assistant Curator of Vascular Plants, Latin America Herbarium, Missouri Botanical Garden

Primary subject(s) of interest:  Plant systematics and floristics

Primary geographic area(s) of interest: Colombia, Brazil, Jamaica, Mexico, Peru, Ecuador, Bolivia, Suriname, Venezuela, Panama, Costa Rica

Habitats and Ecosystems of interest: Forest, Savanna, Shrubland, Grassland, Deserts

David Bogler

David Bogler

Research Associate, Missouri Botanical Garden

Primary subject(s) of interest: Plant systematics, floristics, molecular systematics, anatomy, microscopy, ecology, sustainability, palynology, teaching

Primary geographic area(s) of interest: USA, Mexico

Habitats and Ecosystems of interest:  Forest, Savanna, Shrubland, Grassland, Deserts, Agricultural land, Urban areas

John Brinda

John Brinda

Assistant Scientist, Herbarium, Missouri Botanical Garden

Primary subject of interest: Ecology, taxonomy, and conservation of bryophytes

Primary geographic area of interest: USA, Madagascar, Philippines

Habitats and Ecosystems of interest: Forest, Savanna, Shrubland, Grassland, Deserts

Justin Elden

Justin Elden

Curator of Herpetology & Aquatics, Saint Louis Zoo

Primary subject(s) of interest:   Herpetology, Conservation Biology, Cave Biology

Primary geographic area(s) of interest: Via the Saint Louis Zoo(Missouri, Armenia, Ecuador) and externally (Guatemala, Costa Rica, Ukraine, Puerto Rico)

Habitats and Ecosystems of interest: Forest, Grassland, Freshwater, Caves and subterranean habitats, Deserts, Urban areas, Zoos

Gunter Fischer

Gunter Fischer

Senior Vice President, Science and Conservation, Missouri Botanical Garden

Primary subject(s) of interest: Ecosystem functioning,  Plant species in situ/ex situ conservation, Systematic and evolutionary botany, Urban greening

Primary geographic area(s) of interest: Africa, Asia, North America, South America

Habitats and Ecosystems of interest: Forest, Savanna, Shrubland, Grassland, Deserts, Urban areas

Martha Fischer

Martha Fischer

General Curator and Director of WildCare Institute Center for Conservation in the Horn of Africa, Saint Louis Zoo WildCare Park

Primary subject(s) of interest: All Horn if Africa wildlife including Grevy's zebra, hirola, black rhino, mountain nyala, giraffe, African wild ass, and Ethiopian wolf; southeast Asian wildlife, such as banteng; local Missouri wildlife and urban biodiversity

Primary geographic area(s) of interest: Horn of Africa, including Kenya, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Djibouti and Somaliland

Habitats and Ecosystems of interest: Savanna, Grassland, Deserts, Urban areas

LEC Seed Grant Projects

Michael Frachetti

Michael Frachetti

Professor of Archaeology, WashU

Primary subject(s) of interest: Anthropology, Archaeology, Asia, Human Ecology, Grassland ecology, Tropical jungles

Primary geographic area(s) of interest: Asia-Pacific (Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Sri Lanka, Maldives, Nepal)

Habitats and Ecosystems of interest: Grassland, Deserts, Urban areas, Mountains

Gayle Fritz

Gayle Fritz

Professor Emerita of Archaeology, WashU

Primary subject(s) of interest: Agriculture, plant domestication, archaeobotany, ethnobotany, and conservation

Primary geographic area(s) of interest: Mexico, United States (Mississippi River valley, St Louis Metro area, SE and Southwest US)

Habitats and Ecosystems of interest: Forest, Savanna, Grassland, Freshwater, Deserts, Agricultural land, Urban areas

Erik Herzog

Erik Herzog

Professor of Biology and Neuroscience, Viktor Hamburger Distinguished Professor in Arts & Sciences, WashU

Primary subject(s) of interest: Circadian rhythms, light pollution, preterm birth, brain cancer

Primary geographic area(s) of interest: United States

Habitats and Ecosystems of interest: Forest, Grassland, Deserts, Urban areas

Nathan Jacobs

Nathan Jacobs

Professor, Computer Science & Engineering, WashU

Primary subject(s) of interest:  Computer Vision, Remote Sensing, Species Distribution Modeling

Habitats and Ecosystems of interest: Forest, Savanna, Shrubland, Grassland, Deserts, Agricultural land, Urban areas

Nisa Karimi

Nisa Karimi

Assistant Scientist, Science and Conservation Division, Africa and Madagascar Program, Missouri Botanical Garden

Primary subject(s) of interest: Plant ecology & evolution, pollination biology, conservation

Primary geographic area(s) of interest:  Madagascar, Tanzania, South Africa

Habitats and Ecosystems of interest: Forest, Savanna, Shrubland, Grassland, Deserts

Elizabeth (Lisa) Kelley

Elizabeth (Lisa) Kelley

Executive Director-WildCare, Director-Center for Conservation in Madagascar, Saint Louis Zoo

Primary subject(s) of interest:  Coordinating wildlife programs and evaluation, wildlife conservation, anthropology, primatology, lemurs

Primary geographic area(s) of interest: Madagascar, global

Habitats and Ecosystems of interest: Forest, Savana, Deserts

LEC Projects

Haijun Liu

Haijun Liu

Assistant Professor, Biology Department, Saint Louis University

Primary subject(s) of interest:  Photosynthetic microbes, photosynthesis adaptation mechanisms, coral bleaching, natural light energy harvesting diversity

Primary geographic area(s) of interest: USA, global (marine, coral symbiont dinoflagellates), Mideast (Israel)

Habitats and Ecosystems of interest: Freshwater, Deserts, Agricultural land

Jim Miller

Jim Miller

Retired, Missouri Botanical Garden

Primary subject(s) of interest: Natural products research, systematics of Boraginaceae, flora of Madagascar

Primary geographic area(s) of interest: Africa (Madagascar), South America

Habitats and Ecosystems of interest: Forest, Deserts

LEC Seed Grant Projects

Travis  Mossotti

Travis Mossotti

Assistant Director IT Research Systems, WashU

Primary subject(s) of interest: Poetry & Environmental Stewardship; Interdisciplinary Conservation Programming; Language of Conservation

Primary geographic interest: United States

Habitats and Ecosystems of interest: Forest, Shrubland, Grassland, Freshwater, Marine, Deserts, Urban areas

Jamie Palmer

Jamie Palmer

Technician, Wildlife Biologist, Institute for Conservation Medicine, Saint Louis Zoo

Primary subject(s) of interest: Conservation Medicine, One Health, Wildlife Health, Herpetology

Primary geographic area(s) of interest: Global

Habitats and Ecosystems of interest: Forest, Freshwater, Deserts, Urban areas, Zoos

Nezka Pfeifer

Nezka Pfeifer

Museum Curator, Stephen and Peter Sachs Museum, Missouri Botanical Garden

Primary subject(s) of interest: Museum studies, museum exhibitions, history, contemporary art, anthropology, conservation

Primary geographic area(s) of interest: Global

Habitats and Ecosystems of interest: All

Adam Smith

Adam Smith

Scientist in Global Change & Conservation, Missouri Botanical Garden

Primary subject(s) of interest: Conservation biogeography and global change, using statistical models of populations, species, and ecosystems

Primary geographic area(s) of interest: Global

Habitats and Ecosystems of interest: Forest, Savanna, Shrubland, Grassland, Deserts, Agricultural land

LEC Seed Grant Projects

Rebecca Sucher

Rebecca Sucher

Senior Manager, Living Collections (Horticulture Division), Missouri Botanical Garden

Primary subject(s) of interest: Conservation horticulture, ex-situ conservation, collections management

Primary geographic area(s) of interest: Global

Habitats and Ecosystems of interest: Forest, Savanna, Shrubland, Grassland, Deserts

Alan Templeton

Alan Templeton

Charles Rebstock Professor Emeritus of Biology, WashU

Primary subject(s) of interest:  Endangered salamanders, reintroduction of wild ass, conservation genetics, landscape genetics and restoration of collared lizards

Primary geographic area(s) of interest: Israel (Midreshet Ben-Gurion, Negev Desert); United States (Glade communities in the Ozarks)

Habitats and Ecosystems of interest: Forest, Savanna, Grassland, Deserts

Thomas Valone

Thomas Valone

Professor of Biology, Saint Louis University

Primary subject of interest: Ecology, Desertification, Communities and behaviors

Primary geographic area of interest: United States (Arizona)

Habitats and Ecosystems of interest: Grassland, Deserts

Tad Yankoski

Tad Yankoski

Senior Entomologist, Sophia M. Sachs Butterfly House, Missouri Botanical Garden

Primary subject(s) of interest:  Insect biodiversity and conservation, citizen science, insect husbandry

Primary geographic area(s) of interest:  Global, with a focus on animals of the tropics (Costa Rica) and USA (Missouri)

Habitats and Ecosystems of interest: Forest, Savanna, Shrubland, Grassland, Deserts, Agricultural land, Urban areas, Zoos