Staff

As Director of Science for the National Tropical Botanical Garden, Nina oversees the strategic development of science and conservation at the Juliet Rice Wichman Botanical Research Center (BRC) at NTBG’s headquarters on Kauaʻi. Nina came to NTBG in 2019 from a position as Professor and Curator of vascular plants and Director of Science at the Natural History Museum of Denmark, University of Copenhagen, where she continues to be adjunct professor. Following her PhD from the University of Copenhagen, Denmark, Nina held research fellowships at the Royal Botanic Gardens Kew in the UK and the University of Minnesota. Nina’s research is interdisciplinary and centred on the evolution and conservation of plant diversity and the relationship between people and plants.

Contact: nronsted@ntbg.org
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Dr. David Lorence occupies the B. Evans Chair of Botany and came to the National Tropical Botanical Garden in 1987. Research specialties are systematic studies of tropical plants, floristics, and invasive plant species. His systematic research focuses on Pacific and neotropical members of the large and diverse Rubiaceae family, which includes coffee, quinine, and gardenias. He also studies Pacific island pteridophytes and the Monimiaceae family of the Malagasy region.

Contact: dlorence@ntbg.org
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Tim is Curator of the Herbarium (PTBG) at the National Tropical Botanical Garden. He has been working at NTBG since 1981. In addition to managing the herbarium he has also participated in fieldwork in Hawaiʻi, Samoa, Tonga, Niue, the Cook Islands, Kosrae, Pohnpei, Palau, Australia, New Caledonia, and Ecuador.

Contact: tflynn@ntbg.org

As Conservation Biologist of the National Tropical Botanical Garden, Seana’s primary role is to lead in the development of the organization’s activities to implement the Hawaiʻi Strategy for Plant Conservation. She earned a Master’s degree in Botany from the University of Hawaiʻi at Manoa and is currently pursuing a PhD degree from the University of Copenhagen, Denmark, focused on science-based conservation management of threatened Hawaiian plants. Her applied research interests include plant breeding systems, pollination ecology, and population genetics.

Contact: swalsh@ntbg.org
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Ken’s research focuses on the study and conservation of Pacific Island floras. His essential responsibilities include organizing and conducting botanical field surveys with a specialty in accessing rough terrain habitats. Other aspects of his research include: mapping the distribution and abundance of rare Pacific island plants (phytogeography); collecting herbarium specimens for scientific study, collecting seeds, spores, and cuttings for conservation, and DNA material for genetic sequencing; publishing conservation status data and new species descriptions; and contributing to conservation biology research and educational outreach through national and international scientific collaboration.

Contact: kwood@ntbg.org

As Seed Bank and Laboratory Manager at the National Tropical Botanical Garden, Dustin specialize in ex situ seed conservation biology with an emphasis on seed and pollen storage behavior, seed longevity and aging kinetics, seed borne pathogen abatement, and seed dormancy and dormancy alleviation of native Hawaiian plant species of conservation importance. His research aims to understand how seeds respond to desiccation and subfreezing temperatures, identifying regeneration intervals, and determining optimal seed propagation techniques. Dustin holds and MSc in Plant Biology and Conservation from Arizona State University and is currently pursuing a PhD degree at the University of Copenhagen, Denmark, focused on changing the seed banking paradigm using Hawaiian lobeliads as a model system.

Contact: dwolkis@ntbg.org
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Margaret came to the Science & Conservation Department at NTBG in 2006, after receiving her JD and Master of Law degrees from the University of Washington, as well as graduate certificates in Conservation Biology Policy as well as Patent and Intellectual Property Law and Practice. While at NTBG she facilitated and wrote a Collections Policy, and currently researches and compiles reports on rare plants for US Fish and Wildlife Service and the International Union for the Conservation of Nature.

Contact: mclark@ntbg.org

Ben has an MSc degree in GIS (Global Information System mapping) from Penn State University from 2017. At NTBG he is responsible for management of organization-wide phytogeography data and GIS modeling, contributing data to NTBGs research and conservation work, as well as to over 250 NTBG led IUCN Red List assessments. Ben has also implemented an innovative drone program helping NTBG survey hard to access terrain. His research work with using drones in biodiversity exploration is internationally recognized and he has been locating several threatened plant species of conservation importance.

Contact: bnyberg@ntbg.org