Katie Wenzell

Katie Wenzell

Assistant Professor & C.A. Taylor Herbarium Director

Biography

I'm an evolutionary ecologist studying how plants reproduce, persist and change across time and space. My research focuses on how mating events and ecological interactions shape the evolutionary trajectory of plant lineages and how this can inform their conservation. I'm particularly interested in plant-pollinator interactions, floral trait variation and population and conservation genetics. My research integrates phenotypic, genomic and ecological approaches to better understand early stages of divergence and speciation and to inform the conservation of native plants.

Education

  • B.S. in botany | University of Oklahoma | 2009-2013
  • Ph.D. in plant biology and conservation | Northwestern University and Chicago Botanic Garden | 2015-2021

Postdoctoral Experience

  • Postdoctoral scientist | John Innes Centre | 2021-2023
  • National Science Foundation Postdoctoral Research Fellowship in biology | California Academy of Sciences and University of Maryland | 2023-2025

Academic and Professional Experience

Academic Interests
  • Plant-pollinator interactions
  • Plant reproductive ecology
  • Floral trait evolution
  • Conservation and population genetics/genomics
  • Use of herbarium collections for research and conservation
Academic Responsibilities
  1. Director of C.A. Taylor Herbarium
  2. BOT 405-505/ BOT 405L-505L – Grasses and Grasslike Plants
  3. BOT 301 – Plant Systematics
  4. NRM 410 – Conservation Biology
Committees and Professional Memberships
  • Botanical Society of America
  • Ecological Society of America
  • Society for the Study of Evolution
  • American Society of Plant Taxonomists
  • Society of Herbarium Curators
Mailing Address:
McFadden Biostress Laboratory 142A
Natural Resource Management-Box 2140B
University Station
Brookings, SD 57007
Office Location:
Edgar S. McFadden Biostress Lab
Room 142A