Forest

Julián Aguirre-Santoro
Assistant Curator of Vascular Plants, Latin America Herbarium, Missouri Botanical Garden
- Email: jaguirre-santoro@mobot.org
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

Matthew A. Albrecht
Scientist, Director of Center for Conservation & Sustainable Development, Missouri Botanical Garden
Primary subject(s) of interest: Plant conservation, threatened plants and communities
Primary geographic area(s) of interest: North America (Ozarks and Southeastern US)
Habitats and Ecosystems of interest: Forest, Savanna, Grassland
LEC Seed Grant Projects

Whitney Anthonysamy
Associate Professor of Biology, University of Health Sciences and Pharmacy
- Email: whitney.anthonysamy@uhsp.edu
Primary subject(s) of interest: Urban ecology, population ecology, conservation biology, herpetology
Primary geographic area(s) of interest: United States (Saint Louis, Missouri)
Habitats and Ecosystems of interest: Forest, Freshwater, Urban areas

Wendy Applequist
Associate Scientist, William L. Brown Center, Missouri Botanical Garden
Primary subject of interest: Plant taxonomy, medicinal plants, natural product discovery
Primary geographic interest: United States, Madagascar
Habitats and Ecosystems of interest: Forest ,Savanna, Shrubland

Matthew Austin
Curator of Biodiversity Data, Herbarium, Missouri Botanical Garden
- Email: maustin@mobot.org
Primary subject(s) of interest: Herbaria, global change biology, hyperspectral botany, phenology, ecology
Primary geographic area(s) of interest: Africa, Asia, Europe, North America, South America
Habitats and Ecosystems of interest: Forest, Grassland, Urban Areas, Botanic Gardens and Herbaria

Peter Bernhardt
Research Associate of Missouri Botanical Garden
Primary subject(s) of interest: Pollination; Anthophilous insects (bees, beetles, syrphid flies, butterflies and moths); flowering plant groups (orchids and other petaloid monocots), montane wildflowers of the Himalayas; Proteaceae of Australia; plant systematics and phytogeography of the floras of southern Australia; redbuds and dogwoods of Missouri; pollination in urban versus rural flora native to North America; popular illustrations and depictions of flora and their pollinators from the 19th-21st century; the history of the writings of Charles Darwin and his contemporaries on floral adaptation/evolution; bee diversity on rural versus urban trees of redbud (Cercis canadensis) and dogwood (Cornus florida) in St. Louis and its counties
Primary geographic area(s) of interest: United States (Saint Louis, Missouri, Kansas), Australia (New South Wales, Victoria, Western Australia), China (Kunming, Lijiang and Yulong (Yunnan))
Habitats and Ecosystems of interest: Forest, Savana, Shrubland, Grassland, Montane>3000m

Stephen Blake
Assistant Professor, Biology Department, Saint Louis University
- Email: stephen.blake@slu.edu
Primary subject(s) of interest: Ecology and conservation of mega vertebrates
Primary geographic area(s) of interest: Congo Basin, Galapagos Islands, Central Africa, Saint Louis, MO
Habitats and Ecosystems of interest: Forest, Grassland, Agricultural land, Urban areas
LEC Seed Grant Projects

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

Adrianus (Jacco) Boon
Professor, WashU School of Medicine
- Email: jboon@wustl.edu
Primary subject(s) of interest: Virology and virus ecology
Primary geographic area(s) of interest: USA
Habitats and Ecosystems of interest: Forest
LEC Seed Grant Projects

Emily Bowling
Conservation Education Liaison, Saint Louis Zoo
- Email: bowling@stlzoo.org
Primary subject(s) of interest: Palm oil sustainability, public education, local conservation
Habitats and Ecosystems of interest: Tropical rainforests, Forests, Agricultural land, Urban areas

John Brinda
Assistant Scientist, Herbarium, Missouri Botanical Garden
- Email: john.brinda@mobot.org
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

Mónica Carlsen
Scientist 2 - Education Program Manager, Missouri Botanical Garden
- Email: monica.carlsen@mobot.org
Primary subject(s) of interest: Plant diversity and evolution, systematics, phylogenomics, pollination biology
Primary geographic area(s) of interest: Neotropics (emphasis on Mexico, Costa Rica, Colombia and Brazil)
Habitats and Ecosystems of interest: Forest
LEC Seed Grant Projects

Bob Coulter
Director, Litzsinger Road Ecology Center, Missouri Botanical Garden
- Email: bob.coulter@mobot.org
Primary subject(s) of interest: Youth civic engagement and place-based education
Primary geographic area(s) of interest: Global
Habitats and Ecosystems of interest: Forest, Grassland, Freshwater
LEC Seed Grant Projects

Tom Croat
P.A. Schulze Curator of Botany, Latin America, Missouri Botanical Garden
Primary subject(s) of interest: Systematics and Ecology of Araceae; Phenology of flowering and fruiting in tropical ecosystems
Primary geographic area(s) of interest: Neotropics
Habitats and Ecosystems of interest: Forest ,Shrubland, Grassland, Agricultural land

Sharon Deem
Director, Saint Louis Zoo Institute for Conservation Medicine
- Email: deem@stlzoo.org
Primary subject(s) of interest: One health, conservation medicine
Primary geographic area(s) of interest: Global with current emphasis areas in USA, Ecuador, Brazil, Kenya, Madagascar
Habitats and Ecosystems of interest: Forest, Savanna, Grassland, Freshwater, Marine, Agricultural land, Urban areas, Zoos
LEC Seed Grant Projects
- Ecological Niche Modeling to Examine the Interactions Between Climate-related Environmental Change, Food Security, Landscape Diversity and an Emerging Infectious Disease
- Expanding the Toolset for Chelonian Conservation: Understanding the Diversity, Distribution and Dynamics of Box Turtle Microbiomes
- Quantifying Effects of Parasites on Ecosystem Nutrient Cycling
- Reducing Human-Wildlife Conflict in East Africa Using Participatory Action Research
- Using iDNA to Increase the Protected Status of the Djeke Triangle and Enhance Disease Surveillance in the Congo Basin
- Going Wild in Forest Park: Tracking the Movement of Wildlife and Disease in an Urban Food Web

Karen DeMatteo
Research Affiliate, WildCare Institute at the Saint Louis Zoo / Academic Advisor, Biology Department, WashU / Conservation Detection Dog Handler/Trainer, A K9 Nose Knows
- Email: KarenDeMatteo@outlook.com
Primary subject(s) of interest: Ecology, conservation, and management of predator-prey species using noninvasive techniques
Primary geographic area(s) of interest: United States (South Carolina, Georgia, North Carolina, Nebraska, and San Francisco), South America (Argentina), & Asia (Bhutan)
Habitats and Ecosystems of interest: Forest, Shrubland, Grassland, Agricultural land, Urban areas, Monocultural plantations & fragmented ecosystems

Justin Elden
Curator of Herpetology & Aquatics, Saint Louis Zoo
- Email: elden@stlzoo.org
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

Kate Farley
Assistant Scientist, William L. Brown Center
- Email: kfarley@mobot.org
Primary subject(s) of interest: Ethnobotany, traditional ecological knowledge, community-based conservation, North American biodiversity, invasive species
Primary geographic area(s) of interest: United States (Appalachia, the Ozarks)
Habitats and Ecosystems of interest: Forest, Agricultural land

Kasey Fowler-Finn
Associate Professor of Biology, Saint Louis University
Primary subject(s) of interest: Evolutionary ecology, behavioral ecology, vibrational communication, biotremology, climate change, evolution of complex traits, animal communication
Primary geographic area(s) of interest: Saint Louis, Eastern North America
Habitats and Ecosystems of interest: Forest, Shrubland, Grassland, Agricultural land, Urban areas

Gayle Fritz
Professor Emerita of Archaeology, WashU
- Email: gjfritz@wustl.edu
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

Roy Gereau
Assistant Curator and Tanzania Program Director, Missouri Botanical Garden
Primary subject(s) of interest: Floristics, plant taxonomy, and plant conservation
Primary geographic area(s) of interest: Tanzania
Habitats and Ecosystems of interest: Forest, Savanna, Shrubland, Grassland, Urban areas

Robbie Hart
Director, William L. Brown Center, Missouri Botanical Garden
Primary subject(s) of interest: Climate change impacts on plant ecology and human environmental knowledge systems; ethnobotany; montane and alpine; Madagascar; community-based conservation; food plants
Primary geographic area(s) of interest: Himalaya; Hengduan/Mountains of Southwest China; Pacific Northwest; Madagascar
Habitats and Ecosystems of interest: Forest, Shrubland, Grassland, Agricultural land
LEC Projects
LEC Seed Grant Projects
- Biological Inventory and Conservation of Arevik National Park and Zangezur Sanctuary, Armenia
- Protecting Biodiversity and Human Health through Wild Edible Plants of Alandraza-Agnalavelo Sacred Forest, Madagascar
- Socio-economic and Cultural Adaptation to Biodiversity Loss and Climate Change: Analysis and Intervention Efficacy Study in Three Madagascar Subsistence Communities

Julie Hartell-DeNardo
Kevin Beckmann Curator of Carnivores and WildCare Center for Polar Bear Conservation Director, Saint Louis Zoo
- Email: hartell@stlzoo.org
Primary subject(s) of interest: Carnivore conservation, Carnidae, Felidae, Ursidae, Canidea, Pinnipedia
Primary geographic area(s) of interest: Africa (Namibia, Somaliland, Tanzania, Kenya), Alaska
Habitats and Ecosystems of interest: Forest, Savanna, Shrubland, Grassland, Marine, Agricultural land

Heidi Hellmuth
Curator of Primates, Saint Louis Zoo
- Email: hellmuth@stlzoo.org
Primary subject(s) of interest: Primate conservation, animal welfare, animal behavior and behavior management (enrichment and training)
Primary geographic area(s) of interest: Malaysia (orangutan), Republic of Congo (chimpanzee and gorilla); I am the program coordinator for our partnerships with HUTAN in Malaysian Borneo and with the Goualougo Triangle Ape Project in Republic of Congo
Habitats and Ecosystems of interest: Forest, Zoos
LEC Seed Grant Projects

Erik Herzog
Professor of Biology and Neuroscience, Viktor Hamburger Distinguished Professor in Arts & Sciences, WashU
- Email: herzog@biology.wustl.edu
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

Sarah Holaday
Director of Animal Care & Conservation, Endangered Wolf Center
Primary subject(s) of interest: Conservation
Habitats and Ecosystems of interest: Forest, Agricultural land

Nathan Jacobs
Professor, Computer Science & Engineering, WashU
- Email: jacobsn@wustl.edu
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

Ben Jellen
Associate Professor of Biological Sciences, University of Health Sciences and Pharmacy
- Email: ben.jellen@gmail.com
Primary subject(s) of interest: The ecology, physiology, behavior, learning, and conservation of amphibians, reptiles and birds
Primary geographic area(s) of interest: Central and eastern Missouri and central and southern Illinois
Habitats and Ecosystems of interest: Forest, Grassland, Freshwater, Urban areas

Nisa Karimi
Assistant Scientist, Science and Conservation Division, Africa and Madagascar Program, Missouri Botanical Garden
- Email: nkarimi@mobot.org
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

Andreas (Andi) Kautt
Assistant Professor, Biology Department, WashU
- Email: kautt@wustl.edu
Primary subject(s) of interest: Evolutionary Genomics, Adaptation & Speciation, Animal Behavior
Habitats and Ecosystems of interest: Forest, Shrubland, Grassland, Freshwater

Elizabeth (Lisa) Kelley
Executive Director-WildCare, Director-Center for Conservation in Madagascar, Saint Louis Zoo
- Email: lkelley@stlzoo.org
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

Doug Ladd
Senior Lecturer, Sam Fox School, WashU
- Email: dladd@mobot.org
Primary subject(s) of interest: Lichen taxonomy
Primary geographic area(s) of interest: North America (Interior Highlands, Great Plains, Central Tallgrass Prairie, Great Lakes)
Habitats and Ecosystems of interest: Forest, Savanna, Grassland, Urban areas
LEC Seed Grant Projects

Jalene LaMontagne
E. Desmond Lee Professor in Botanical Studies, Department of Biology, University of Missouri-Saint Louis
- Email: jalene.lamontagne@umsl.edu
Primary subject(s) of interest: Population ecology, macrosystems biology, mast seeding, consumer-resource dynamics, synchrony, synthesis
Primary geographic area(s) of interest: North America, Global
Habitats and Ecosystems of interest: Forest, Savanna, Urban Areas

Danielle N. Lee
Assistant Professor, Biological Sciences, Southern Illinois University - Edwardsville
- Email: danilee@siue.edu
Primary subject(s) of interest: Animal Behavior, Mammalogy, Ethology, Urban Ecology, Science Outreach, STEM Diversity
Primary geographic area(s) of interest: Mid-West United States (Saint Louis Metro area); Tanzania (Arusha)
Habitats and Ecosystems of interest: Forest, Grassland, Urban areas

Quinn Long
Director, Shaw Nature Reserve, Missouri Botanical Garden
Primary subject(s) of interest: Conservation and restoration of rare plant species and natural communities, particularly grassland, savannah, and woodlands
Primary geographic area(s) of interest: Midwestern and Southeastern United States
Habitats and Ecosystems of interest: Forest, Savanna, Grassland

Katherine MacKinnon
Professor of Anthropology, Saint Louis University
Primary subject(s) of interest: Anthropology, primatology, primate social behavior, ecology, genera Cebus & Alouatta, ecotourism, sustainability, conservation, fieldwork ethics, urban green spaces, human-wildlife interfaces
Primary geographic area(s) of interest: Central America, South America
Habitats and Ecosystems of interest: Forest, Urban Areas

Liz Mallott
Assistant Professor, Department of Biology, WashU
- Email: mallott@wustl.edu
Primary subject(s) of interest: human and nonhuman primates, gut microbiome, host-microbe interactions, molecular and microbial ecology
Primary geographic area(s) of interest: United States, Costa Rica, Mexico, Ecuador, Argentina, Brazil, Bolivia, Asia
Habitats and Ecosystems of interest: Forest, Savanna, Shrubland, Urban Areas

Bob Marquis
Professor Emeritus, Biology Department, University of Missouri-Saint Louis
- Email: robert_marquis@umsl.edu
Primary subject(s) of interest: Ecology and evolution of tritrophic interactions, arthropod community structure, plant-herbivore interactions, tropical ecology, prairie restoration, oak herbivore community ecology
Primary geographic area(s) of interest: Upper Midwest of United States
Habitats and Ecosystems of interest: Forest, Savanna, Grassland

Kim Medley
Director, Tyson Research Center, WashU
- Email: kim.medley@wustl.edu
Primary geographic area(s) of interest: United States (Missouri)
Habitats and Ecosystems of interest: Forest, Grassland, Freshwater, Urban areas
LEC Seed Grant Projects

Bob Merz
Assistant Director, Saint Louis Zoo WildCare Institute
- Email: Merz@stlzoo.org
Primary subject(s) of interest: Critically endangered American burying beetle
(Nicrophorus americanus)
Primary geographic area(s) of interest: United States (Midwest Region)
Habitats and Ecosystems of interest: Forest, Grassland

Krista Milich
Assistant Professor of Biological Anthropology, WashU
- Email: krista.milich@wustl.edu
Primary subject(s) of interest: Non-human primates, reproductive ecology, behavioral endocrinology, zoonotic disease, community conservation
Primary geographic area(s) of interest: East Africa and South America
Habitats and Ecosystems of interest: Forest, Agricultural land
LEC Projects
LEC Seed Grant Projects

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

Regina Mossotti
Vice President of Animal Care, Saint Louis Zoo
- Email: rmossotti@stlzoo.org
Primary subject(s) of interest: African Painted Dog, American Red Wolf, Mexican Wolf
Primary geographic area(s) of interest: United States (southwest and southeast)
Habitats and Ecosystems of interest: Forest, Savanna, Zoos

Travis Mossotti
Assistant Director IT Research Systems, WashU
- Email: travis.mossotti@wustl.edu
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

Jonathan A. Myers
Professor of Biology, WashU
- Email: jamyers@wustl.edu
Primary subject of interest: Community ecology, plant diversity, longleaf pine ecosystems
Primary geographic interest: Southeastern coastal plains (US); temperature and tropical forests
LEC Seed Grant Projects
- A Synthesis of Patterns and Mechanisms of Diversity and Forest Change in the Andes: A Global Biodiversity Hotspot
- Land Management Effects on Microbiome Diversity in Disease Vectors
- Microrefugia Against Climate Change
- Testing the Role that Biotic Interactions Play in Shaping Elevational-Diversity Gradients: An Ecological Metabolomics Approach

Patricia Olynyk
Florence and Frank Bush Professor in Art, WashU Sam Fox School
- Email: Olynyk@wustl.edu
Primary subject(s) of interest: Human-animal studies, interspecies communication, environmental narratology, dark sky studies
Primary geographic area(s) of interest: Canada, Japan, United States
Habitats and Ecosystems of interest: Forest, Skies

Jamie Palmer
Technician, Wildlife Biologist, Institute for Conservation Medicine, Saint Louis Zoo
- Email: jpalmer@stlzoo.org
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
Museum Curator, Stephen and Peter Sachs Museum, Missouri Botanical Garden
- Email: npfeifer@mobot.org
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

Amy Pool
Curatorial Assistant, Latin America, Missouri Botanical Garden
Primary subject(s) of interest: Floristics, sharing science, the importance of biodiversity and conservation, and the significance of global climate change with the local public, plant taxonomy, natural history collections use and curation
Primary geographic area(s) of interest: Central America
Habitats and Ecosystems of interest: Forest, Savanna, Shrubland, Grassland, Agricultural land, Collection-based

Thomas (Cody) Prang
Assistant Professor of Biological Anthropology, WashU
- Email: prang@wustl.edu
Primary subject(s) of interest: Paleoanthroplogy, functional morphology, bipedalism
Primary geographic area(s) of interest: Africa, Asia, Europe
Habitats and Ecosystems of interest: Forest, Savanna, Shrubland, Grassland