The NTBG is able expand the reach of its staff by attracting exceptional scientists from around the globe to conduct research and to collaborate with NTBG staff scientists through appointment as research chairs, fellowships, and/or associates.
McBryde Chair
The McBryde Chair was established through an endowment in 1995, originally concentrating research on Hawaiian plants and plant communities with appointment for a one- to two-year period. From 1998 to 2003, the focus of this appointment was amended to include research in the flora of other tropical regions. The current occupant of this chair holds the title of: McBryde Chair for Hawaiian and Pacific Plant Studies.
Dr. Warren L. Wagner (2004-present) - Download CV [PDF]
Dr. Peter K. Endress (2003)
Professor Sir Ghillean T. Prance, FRS (2000-2001)
Professor P. B. Tomlinson (1998-1999)
Dr. Stephen G. Weller (1995-1998)
The program is further structured to augment the research conducted by staff scientists through Research Fellowship appointments. Fellows typically spend a period in residence at NTBG’s headquarters campus or gardens, conducting independent research related to Hawaiian and other Pacific Island plants.
McBryde Senior Research Fellows:
Professor Sir Ghillean T. Prance, FRS (2006-present)
Alan R. Smith (spring 2007)
Eric H. Roalson (fall 2007)
Bruce G. Baldwin (fall 2007)
Molly Nepokroeff (spring 2008)
McBryde Postdoctoral Research Fellows:
Danica T. Harbaugh (2008)
Jose Mauricio de Leon Bonifacino (2008)
McBryde Graduate Research Fellows:
Christine D. Bacon (2007-2009)
Eleanor Evans Crum Distinguished Professor of Tropical Botany
This chair was established in 2000 in memory of a long-time supporter and Trustee of the NTBG, Mrs. Eleanor Evans Crum. It has been held by Professor P. B. Tomlinson since its inception. Professor Tomlinson’s research primarily focuses on the morphology, anatomy, and biology of palms, gymnosperms, and mangroves.
Research Associates
NTBG’s research programs are greatly enhanced by partnerships with research associates who utilize or curate NTBG's living and herbarium collections, engage in collaborative research projects with staff, and contribute expertise that complements the skills of existing staff members. As an example, one associate has been involved in seed germination trials and propagation of endangered Hawaiian Lobelioid species, while another has utilized our living collections to study breeding systems and gender expression in Kadua, a genus in the Rubiaceae. Terms of appointment are normally for two years with the option for renewal.
Research Associates (Relative specialty noted)
Dr. Ruth Aguraiuja - Native Hawaiian Ferns
Dr. Bruce Baldwin – Vascular Plant Systematics
Dr. Michael Balick - Economic Botany, Ethnobotany
Mr. David Boucher – Plant Propagation
Dr. Sherwin Carlquist – Plant Anatomy
Mr. Liloa Dunn – Pacific Island Ethnobotany
Dr. Mary Endress – Apocynaceae Systematics
Dr. Peter Endress – Floral Diversity and Evolution
Dr. Michael Kiehn – Cytotaxonomy, Vascular Plant Systematics
Dr. William Laidlaw – Breeding Systems and Conservation
Dr. Jean-Yves Meyer, Pacific Biodiversity Conservation
Dr. Susan Murch - Micropropagation
Dr. Jonathan Price – Pacific Islands Biogeography
Dr. Alan R. Smith, Pteridophyte Systematics and Floristics
Dr. Charlotte Taylor – Rubiaceae Systematics and Floristics
Dr. Donna W. Vogler - Breeding Systems
Dr. Warren L. Wagner - Hawaiian and Pacific Island Floristics
Dr. Stephen G. Weller - Breeding Systems, Restoration Ecology
Dr. Nyree Zerega - Breadfruit Systematics
A number of NTBG’s professional staff also hold associate or adjunct research and/or education status at other institutions, such as the Missouri Botanical Garden, the University of Hawai‘i, and the Bernice P. Bishop Museum.
