Our Scientists
With state-of-the-art research and growth facilities nestled alongside over 15,000 living specimens (~ 4000 taxa), the Arnold Arboretum is uniquely positioned to ask broad and important questions in plant biology. Our scientists’ research is as diverse as our living collection, ranging from organismic and evolutionary biology, molecular and developmental biology, plant physiology, and ecological, environmental and biodiversity studies.
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Julien Bachelier is a post-doctoral research fellow in the Friedman Lab. His work focuses on the evolution of seed plants, particularly in the origin of flowering plants and the evolutionary development of flower and carpel. Julien’s thesis investigations compared the structure and development of flowers in closely related families such the Anacardiaceae and the Burseraceae. |
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Senior Research Scientist Peter Del Tredici is also a lecturer in landscape architecture at the Harvard Graduate School of Design. His research interests are wide ranging and mainly involve the interaction between woody plants and their environment. Recently, his investigations have expanded to include studies of spontaneous urban vegetation. |
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Michael Dosmann, curator of living collections, guides the Arboretum’s stewardship and development of its collection of temperate woody species. His work explores new strategies and tactics aimed at improving collections management and enhancing the use of Arboretum collections for research. Additionally, he conducts research on the physiological ecology of woody plants and participates in floristic efforts through domestic and foreign plant exploration. |
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Arnold Professor of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology at Harvard University and director of the Arnold Arboretum of Harvard University, Ned Friedman is interested in the organismic interfaces between developmental, phylogenetic, and evolutionary biology. The Friedman Lab explores how patterns of morphology, anatomy, and reproductive biology have evolved through the modification of developmental processes. |
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Sarah Mathews is a Sargent Fellow and principal investigator at the Arnold Arboretum. She is interested in plant phylogenetics and in the question of how changes in light-sensing systems have influenced the ability of plants to survive and diversify. The Mathews Lab uses phylogenetic, genetic, and comparative physiological approaches to explore the links between molecular and functional evolution in the phytochrome photoreceptor family. |
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The research of Noeline Morrissey, a Master’s student in the Friedman Lab, is focusing on trichome morphology and development. Comparing the multiple forms of trichomes in hops (Humulus lupulus) and related genera should shed light on the evolution of these highly specialized structures. |
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A graduate student working in the Friedman Lab, Rebecca Povilus is interested in the idea that molecular resources are important tools for connecting how changes at the gene and genome level affect developmental processes. She is currently focusing on how evolutionary changes during the development of the egg-producing structure could give rise to the wide array of egg-sac morphologies in angiosperms. |
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The research interests of Cary Pirone, Arnold Arboretum Putnam Fellow, lay primarily in understanding how chemical signals mediate biological phenomena. Currently, she is exploring the complexities of pollination drops (ovular secretions) of several conifer species and ginkgo using biochemical and anatomical approaches. |
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The research interests of Director of Research Facilitation Faye Rosin bear on investigating how gene expression is regulated and the consequences of that regulation at the molecular, cellular, and developmental levels. Faye’s investigations at Harvard involve tracking thousands of genes to see how the transcriptional program of an entire organ has been modified to direct three key innovations in columbine flower development. |
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The research of Francesca Secchi, a Mercer Fellow in the Zwieniecki Lab, aims at understanding the principles of the biological function of vascular systems in plants. Her current research is focused on embolism formation and refilling using molecular, physiological, and biophysical approaches. |
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Senior Research Scientist and principal investigator Cam Webb studies the evolution and ecology of tropical plants, and is experimenting with new informatics and capacity-building approaches to plant inventory and taxonomy. Cam’s current research project, a collaboration with co-PI Sarah Mathews and funded by the National Science Foundation, focuses on the ecology, biogeography, and biodiversity informatics of trees in Indonesian forests. |
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The research of Arnold Arboretum Sargent Fellow and principal investigator Maciej Zwieniecki addresses the structure, surface chemistry, and mechanical properties of the network of fluid conduits in plants. The Zwieniecki Lab studies the specialized cells that distribute water, solutes, and energy over long distances, as well as how the terminal exchange surfaces (roots and leaves) interface with the environment. |