Office Address
1445 Gortner Avenue
St. Paul, MN 55108
United States
George
Weiblen
Distinguished McKnight University Professor, Science Director and Curator of Plants, Bell Museum
Plant and Microbial Biology
We combine fieldwork in tropical and temperate ecosystems with DNA technology and the study of museum specimens. Studies of tropical forest dynamics, community ecology, and coevolution in fig pollination are topics of long-term research. Recent interests include Cannabis genetics, biotic responses to climate change, floristics, and biodiversity conservation.
Research interests
The Weiblen lab studies plant and insect systematics, molecular phylogenetics, population genetics, ecology and coevolution. Phylogenetic theory and molecular approaches have invigorated the search for answers to broad evolutionary problems that have captivated biologists since Darwin. We combine fieldwork in tropical and temperate ecosystems with specimen-based research and DNA sequencing to study the ecology and evolution of plant-insect interactions. Studies of tropical forest dynamics, coevolution in fig pollination, and systematics of Cecropia ant plants are particular areas of current research. Other interests include Cannabis genetics, phylogenetic theory, floristics, and biodiversity conservation.
Weiblen is also a resident fellow of the Institute on the Environment, an interdisciplinary institute that seeks solutions to Earth's most pressing environmental problems through innovative research, partnerships and leadership development.
Education
Ph.D., Harvard University, 1999