Chelsea D. Specht
USA
Chelsea is fundamentally interested in the developmental processes that result in the evolution and diversification of form and function in plants. Her research incorporates elements of systematics, developmental genetics and molecular evolution to explore the patterns and processes that promote plant speciation and diversification. Members of her lab take advantage of living and preserved natural history collections to advance their research in plant systematics, biogeography, and developmental evolution in charismatic plant lineages such as Zingiberales (banana, ginger), Allium (onions), mariposa lilies (Calochortus), and cycads.