After an international search for its new president and director, the Missouri Botanical Garden chose a candidate who had spent some time at the garden early in her career.
Lucia G. Lohmann was named the garden's eighth president and director on Monday. She will be the first woman to have that position at the institution.
Lohmann, 50, is currently a professor in the Department of Integrative Biology at the University of California, Berkeley. She is also the director of two of the university's herbaria, which are collections of dried, pressed plants.
When she takes over the MoBot job on Jan. 2, the facility will be familiar. After receiving her master's degree and doctoral degree in ecology, evolution and systematics from the University of Missouri, St. Louis, she worked as a postdoctoral fellow at the Missouri Botanical Garden's Center for Conservation and Sustainable Development.
BenFred: Everybody has an opinion about Busch Stadium attendance. Here's mine. Gordo: Cardinals fans prove they couldn't tolerate the pain of tanking Supporters cut ties with St. Louis pregnancy center, accuse leader of abusive behavior Hochman: The 2024 Cardinals' top 10 underachievers, from John Mozeliak to the Nolans Police officers checked on Wildwood home. More than 130 cats were there. St. Louis brewer Urban Chestnut says it will file for bankruptcy St. Louis politician's relatives are in line for big grants. City won't release the records. Cost of Missouri secretary of state's failed 'woke' investing rules could top $2 million How to watch Mizzou Tigers football vs. Buffalo: TV, live stream, game time DraftKings promo code for Lions vs. Rams: Bet $5, get $250 in bonus bets, Free NFL+ Premium on Sunday LoRusso's Cucina, beloved St. Louis Italian restaurant, to close Sept. 29 Ruling throws fate of Missouri's abortion measure in question FBI arrests St. Charles woman behind million-dollar food fraud Damn Fine Hand Pies is St. Louis' best new bakery in years. The name undersells it. After win slips from his grasp, Michael Siani delivers in 12th, lifts Cardinals over Brewers
Her work at the garden involved using specimens from its herbarium and geospatial information to determine trends in evolution, ecology and conservation.
It was the opportunity to do research at the garden that brought the native of Sao Paulo, Brazil, to St. Louis the first time. MoBot has an international reputation, she said, and also its herbarium contains the world's largest collection of specimens in her field of research, the tabebuia genus of trees and shrubs.
She spent most of her 20s doing research at the garden and living nearby. Her fond memories of the time are one reason she sought the job as president and director.
"I love the garden. I grew up as a student here at the garden. This is a place I really love," she said.
Lohmann received her bachelor's degree in biology from the University of Sao Paulo, studying the biodiversity of the Amazon River Basin.
Biodiversity remains a topic of interest for her, and she is executive director of the Association for Tropical Biology and Conservation and president of the International Association for Plant Taxonomy.
As president and director of the botanical garden, she will continue its scientific focus on finding solutions to "the climatic and environmental crises that we face," she said, while at the same time maintaining its status as a locally beloved cultural institution.
"If you're having a bad day, it's the best place to be. If you're having a good day, it's the best place to be," she said.
The garden's current president, Peter Wyse Jackson, will step down from that position on Jan. 2 and will become president emeritus.
0 Comments